Chandigarh, January 14 – Haryana Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister, Sh. Shyam Singh Rana directed officers to upgrade veterinary hospitals and dispensaries across the state where medical equipment and modern machines are required. He said these facilities should be equipped at the earliest with advanced infrastructure to ensure timely and effective treatment of animals. He also directed that new buildings should be constructed in place of old and dilapidated structures to improve the overall quality of animal husbandry services.
Sh. Rana was chairing the pre-budget consultation meeting of the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department at his office here today. Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department, Sh. Vijay Singh Dahiya, along with other senior officers, was present in the meeting.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the expenditure status of the budget allocated to the department in the previous year’s general budget presented by the Finance Minister. He directed officers to ensure transparent and effective utilisation of the remaining budget within the prescribed time frame so that maximum benefits reach livestock farmers.
During the meeting, the Minister was informed that from the year 2020–21 till October 2025, grants amounting to about Rs. 390.31 crore have been provided to gaushalas in the state. An approval of Rs. 69.74 crore has also been given for the rehabilitation of stray cattle and development of related infrastructure, out of which Rs. 80.56 lakh has already been distributed as fodder subsidy for rehabilitated stray animals.
The Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister said that to provide employment opportunities to Scheduled Caste livestock farmers, special schemes are being implemented under which 20,032 beneficiaries have been covered so far. Similarly, under the sheep and goat rearing scheme, a subsidy of 90 percent is being provided for setting up a unit of 15 female and one male animal, benefiting 3,891 beneficiaries. To empower women beneficiaries, interest subsidy is being provided on bank loans taken for establishing dairy units with 20 to 50 milch animals. Besides this, a subsidy of 25 percent is being given for setting up dairy units with 2, 4, and 10 milch animals, under which 14,168 dairy units have been established so far, he added.
He said that for the conservation and promotion of indigenous cattle breeds such as Hariana, Sahiwal, and Belahi, incentives ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 20,000 per animal are being provided to farmers rearing high milk-yielding cows.
Sh. Shyam Singh Rana said that the animal husbandry sector is the backbone of the rural economy of the state and is playing an important role in increasing farmers’ income as well as generating new employment opportunities. He directed officers to ensure that the benefits of all schemes reach the last person in a transparent and time-bound manner and that the animal husbandry infrastructure is further strengthened.
