Garhwal Post Bureau
New Delhi, 29 Jul: Haridwar MP and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat raised a question in the Lok Sabha today regarding efforts to make animal husbandry a source of self-employment. In a written reply, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Prof SP Singh Baghel, informed the House that the Central Government is implementing multi‑faceted schemes across the country, including Uttarakhand, to strengthen animal husbandry as a sustainable source of self‑employment.
The Minister stated that through schemes such as the National Gokul Mission, National Livestock Mission, National Dairy Development Programme, and Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund, significant progress is being made in dairy production, breed improvement, animal health, dairy processing, and self‑employment generation.
He added that under the National Gokul Mission, more than 1.56 lakh artificial inseminations have been carried out in Haridwar district. Under the MAITRI scheme, 817 technicians have been trained in the state, providing breeding and primary treatment services at the rural level. An advanced breed multiplication farm has been sanctioned in Haridwar. Under the National Dairy Development Programme, dairy infrastructure worth Rs 7,504.26 lakh is being strengthened in Uttarakhand, including Haridwar.
The Minister also informed that under NABARD’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) scheme, a modern dairy plant with a capacity of 1.50 lakh litres/day has been sanctioned in Nainital, along with a project for plant capacity expansion in Champawat. Two projects worth Rs 9.60 crore have been approved in Uttarakhand under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund.
Additionally, under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP), 1.63 crore vaccinations have been carried out in Uttarakhand against Foot‑and‑Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, PPR, and Lumpy Skin Disease. In Haridwar district alone, 16.61 lakh FMD, 2.3 lakh Brucellosis, and 3.35 lakh LSD vaccinations have been completed. The state has 60 Mobile Veterinary Units (MVUs), including 5 in Haridwar, providing animal health services in rural areas.
Expressing gratitude to the Central Government, Haridwar MP Trivendra Singh Rawat said that in a mountainous state like Uttarakhand, animal husbandry is not only the backbone of the rural economy but also a strong medium of self‑reliance and self‑employment. He added that these central schemes are playing a pivotal role in ushering in a dairy revolution in the state, and efforts will be made to implement them effectively at the village level.
