He said the members of the Union can register for the scheme within 10 days of the birth of the calf. A special fodder worth Rs 1,000 will be given to the family which registers under the scheme. As many as 5,000 calves have been included under the scheme in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The veterinary doctor will diagnose the calf once in every two months and will provide guidance to the owners. The scheme would help farmer (cows) in ‘tagging’ and ‘de-worming.’
Deputy Manager D S Hegde said the scheme is introduced on the lines of Gokul dairy. The Federation will give a financial assistance of Rs 2,000. As many as 600 people have registered under the scheme. The beneficiaries will have to bear 50 per cent of the cost of the fodder, which helps the calf to grow fast and produce milk within 18 to 20 months.
The DKMUL has planned to organise awareness programme on dairy farming among school kids. In 2010-11, as many as 1,73,513 artificial insemination has been carried out in 350 centres. The Mangalore dairy’s capacity has been increased from one lakh litre to 2.5 lakh litre in 2009 at the cost of Rs 6.21 crore. The Federation also provides grant to set up mini dairy.
