Minister of State for Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Nazir Ahmed Gurezi has emphasized upon the officers and field functionaries Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments to redouble their efforts for bridging the gap between the supply and demand of mutton besides milk production in the State. He also urged for the upliftment of socio-economic status of livestock rearing communities.Chairing a high level officers meeting of Animal and Sheep Husbandry departments, convened to review the physical and financial status of several Centrally Sponsored Schemes here today, the Minister directed the concerned authorities to speed up the pace of work on the on-going veterinary and sheep projects for their time bound completion.The Minister asked the officers to achieve fixed targets under RKVY and ATMA and utilized the funds judiciously. He directed concerned authorities for submission of utilization certificates of each project well in time to the administrative department for release of next instalments of funds from the centre so that the construction work of the projects would not hamper.Threadbare discussion was also held on matters of purchase of vehicles, auction of old vehicles and filling up of vacant posts in the meeting.The Minister directed concerned authorities to follow vigorously for selection of vacant posts through SSRB and other concerned Recruitment Boards.Reviewing the physical and financial status of various schemes, the meeting was informed that under National Mission for Protein Supplement a special component of RKVY two schemes viz promoting intensive goat rearing units and Improving Productivity of Goats under Conventional Small Holdings and Pastoral System are being taken up. Moreover, 126 number of elite cross breed rams have been purchased under RKVY for distribution among the private breeders for genetic up gradation of their livestock in the pision.
Under the health cover programme 28.30 lac Dosing, 9.60 lac Dipping and 8.86 lac Vaccinations were conducted to protect sheep and goats from various diseases, the meeting was informed.The meeting was told that to acquaint the breeders about modern technical knowhow of sheep and goat rearing 246 demonstrations were organized while as training was imparted to 655 breeders besides 412 breeders were sent on exposure visits under ATMA and 27 goat units were established under Centrally Sponsored Employment Generating Schemes so far in the pision. Among others, Secretary to Government Animal Sheep Husbandry Department Mrs. Sarita Chouhan, Director Animal Husbandry Department, Jammu, Dr. S.L. Bhagat, Director Sheep Husbandry Department Jammu Dr. T.B. Chaku, Director Finance and other officers of Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments attended the meeting.