ADILABAD: Possession of livestock is seen as a safety net for many poor people, especially in rural areas. Policy makers understand this. So, it didn’t surprise anyone when Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao launched the sheep distribution scheme with a lot of fanfare on June 20.
It was hailed as a great welfare measure for the Gola and Kurma communities in particular. The State government said that it would strengthen the rural economy. However, it has come to a standstill in the erstwhile Adilabad district as veterinary doctors have refuse to accompany the team involved in the purchasing of sheep from the neighbouring state of Maharashtra.
The team of veterinary doctors who returned from Maharashtra on July 4 after purchasing sheep refused to go back for the same purpose in future. In fact, the District Veterinary and Animal Husbandry officers even submitted a memorandum to the district collector Jyothi Budha Prakash, asking the State government to exempt them from duty on buying of sheep.
They asked the TRS government to call tenders for purchase of sheep as they are finding it difficult to pick out healthy sheep for the beneficiaries.The Adilabad district collector had formed a team of veterinary doctors, two attenders and computer operators for Geo Tagging sheep units and online transactions.
The team had visited Maharashtra and identified 60 units of sheep. Each unit compromises of 21 sheep, one male and 20 females. However, transporting sheep back to Telangana was delayed as Animal Husbandry doctors refused to accompany the team for purchase, citing slapping duty on purchase of sheep. The rules state that without the approval of veterinary doctors approval purchase cannot be made.
Only 25 per cent beneficiaries have received livestock.
The State government has identified 36,690 beneficiaries in erstwhile Adilabad district. Of which, 19,444 have to be given sheep units in the first phase. However, till now only 25 per cent of them have received sheep. Since the veterinary doctors have refused to go for purchase of sheep, it would further delay the process.
The shortage of sheep in Maharashtra is also one of the reasons for the delay.
The teams who visited Maharashtra to identify the sheep visited many villages and collected three to four sheep from individual farmers and formed units and transported to Adilabad district.
Are sheep unhealthy?
Many beneficiaries are refusing to take the sheep brought by officials as many of them are unhealthy. In Talmadugu mandal where forest Minister Jogu Ramanna launched the programme by handing over four units, the benefeciaries are refusing to accept the sheep given to them citing poor health of the livestock. After intervention of local leaders, the shepherds accepted the sheep.