IEP Chandigarh, January 20
The Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua has instructed to prepare a comprehensive plan to find ways and means to use the straw as animal fodder to dispose of the paddy straw in a proper manner and to make the farmers aware of it.Today, the Chief Secretary at the Punjab Civil Secretariat in a meeting with the officials of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, Cooperation, Agriculture, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary University for Animal Sciences, Ludhiana and Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, said that State Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan is making in situ and ex situ arrangements for paddy straw management. In the same direction, straw is being used as a substitute for animal fodder.The Chief Secretary asked the expert representatives of the three departments and the two universities to form a committee to work in this regard by establishing contact with the progressive dairy farmers at different places in the state. He said that feedback should be taken from the livestock keepers who are already using it.Principal Secretary Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Vikas Pratap briefed the Chief Secretary that by using this method, the management of stubble will be done in a smooth manner and the livestock farmers will also benefit financially. The Chief Secretary said that the farmers should be made aware through training centres of dairy development, Krishi Vigyan centre and Milk unions in this regard.The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Cooperatives Anurag Agarwal, Principal Secretary Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Vikas Pratap, MD Milkfed Amit Dhaka, Vice Chancellor Guru Angad Dev Veterinary University for Animal Sciences, Ludhiana Dr. Inderjit Singh, Director Animal Husbandry Department Ram Pal Mittal, Joint Director Agriculture Department Jagdish Singh and Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana Forage Breeder Incharge RS Suhu.
