50 pc subsidy under Pashu Bhagya scheme

State to work on developing indigenous cattle breeds

Under the ‘Pashu Bhagya’ scheme of the State government, 50 per cent subsidy will be provided to livestock rearing units, which are started at a cost of Rs 1.2 lakh, said Principal Secretary for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Harsh Gupta, here, on Monday.

Addressing a press meet, he said, subsidies for livestock rearing units has been increased by the. “Subsidies for SC/STs has been increased from 33 to 50 per cent. Besides, farmers from backward classes and general category will also be provided 25 per cent subsidy,” he said.

Apart from the scheme, there are also programmes to encourage animal husbandry. Interest-free loan up to Rs 50,000 will be provided by cooperative banks to farmers. Similarly, Rs 1 lakh loan will be sanctioned for pisciculture, he said.

Insurance benefits up to Rs 1 lakh will also be provided for the livestock. Five cattle can be insured for the amount. Insurance for sheep will be Rs 5,000 per animal. The scheme will be implemented within a month across the State, he said.

Breeding
Steps have been initiated to develop indigenous breeds, such as Amruth Mahal and Hallikar. Under the first phase, support price will be paid for milk from indigenous breeds, he said.

Talks have been held with 13 unions affiliated to the Karnataka Milk Federation to fix a scientific price for milk. Each litre of milk from indigenous breeds will fetch an extra 25 paise, as it contains more fat, he said.

Measures have been taken to develop Bandur sheep. The Sheep Breeding Centre near Malavalli will be revived, Gupta said.

Gokul Gram
Two ‘Gokul Gram’, aimed at developing indigenous breeds, is expected to come up at a cost of Rs 10 crore each. He said, breeding of ‘Devani’ breed will be taken up at Bidar, while ‘Malenadu Gidda’ will be taken up in one of the Malnad districts.

He said, the number of district-level veterinary diagnostic laboratories have been increased from nine to 13. Such labs have been sanctioned for all districts. Mobile diagnostic lab facility will also be launched soon, he added.