Government schemes and interventions to promote animal rearing in India

  • Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM): To undertake breed improvement programme for indigenous breeds so as to improve the genetic makeup and increase the stock.
  • E-Pashu Haat Portal: This portal is for connecting breeders and farmers regarding availability of quality bovine germplasm.
  • National Animal Disease Control Programme: It has been launched for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis with a total outlay of Rs.13,343 crore to ensure 100% vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population.
  • National Livestock Mission: IT is for intensive development of livestock, especially small livestock along with adequate availability of quality feed and fodder.
  • Livestock Health & Disease Control Scheme: Assistance is provided for prevention and control of animal diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) etc.
  • Dairy Development: For strengthening infrastructure for production of quality milk, procurement, processing and marketing of milk and milk products through the following dairy development schemes.
  • Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund: To increase milk production, boost exports, and increase employment by promoting MSMEs and private companies through participation in processing and value addition in the animal husbandry sector, Finance Minister announced an Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund of ₹15,000 crore. This will help strengthen the dairy sector.
  • Disease Protection of Livestock: For livestock protection, the diagnostic kits against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Bluetongue (BT) diseases and Subviral Particle based Infectious Bursal Disease Vaccine were developed.
  • National Artificial Insemination Programme: It aims to suggest novel methods of bringing about impregnation in female breeds. To prevent the spread of certain diseases which are genital in nature, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the breed.
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF): FIDF provides concessional finance/ loan to the Eligible Entities (EEs), including State Governments/UTs and State entities for development of identified fisheries infrastructure facilities.
    • Independent Department: Recognising the importance of the sector, an independent Department of Fisheries has been created in 2019.
  • Special Livestock Sector Package:
    • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved implementation of a special livestock sector package (Rs. 9,800 crore).
    • The aim is to boost growth in the livestock sector and thereby make animal husbandry more remunerative to farmers engaged in Animal Husbandry Sector.
    • The package has been designed by revising and realigning various components of the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying’ Schemes for the next five years, starting 2021-22.
    • All the schemes of the Department will be merged into three broad categories as:
      • Development Programmes: It includes Rashtriya Gokul Mission, National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), National Livestock Mission (NLM) and Livestock Census and Integrated Sample Survey (LC & ISS) as sub-schemes.
      • Disease Control Programme: It is renamed as Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH & DC) which includes the present Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH & DC) scheme and National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP).
      • Infrastructure Development Fund: The Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development fund (AHIDF) and the Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) are merged and the present scheme for support to Dairy Cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organizations engaged in Dairy activities is also included in this third category.
    • Sub-Mission on Fodder and Feed: Revised National Livestock Mission:
      • The scheme can be used for covering the cost of infrastructure/machinery such as bailing units, harvester, chaff cutter, sheds, etc.
      • Private entrepreneurs, self-help groups, farmer producer organisations, dairy cooperative societies, and Section 8 companies (NGOs) can avail themselves of the benefits under this scheme.
      • Since its revision, the National Livestock Mission now provides for 50% direct capital subsidy to the beneficiaries under the feed and fodder entrepreneurship programme and 100% subsidy on fodder seed production to identified beneficiaries.