Fulfilling commitment of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led government to create self-employment opportunities for the youth and increase farmers' income, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Sunday, urged the farmers and milk producers of the state to adopt auxiliary occupations of the agriculture, saying that Mann government is providing financial assistance schemes having 50 percent subsidy besides imparting training for quality milk production and promote dairying in the state.
"Mann government providing financial assistance of Rs.17,500 per milch animal to the general category and Rs.23,100 per milch animal to the Scheduled caste beneficiaries for purchasing 2 to 20 milch animals", informed the Cabinet Minister, adding that 50% subsidy (maximum of Rs.24,366) is being given on double teat cups milking machine for encouraging milk producers to produce clean milk.
Laljit Singh Bhullar said, the government was providing subsidy of Rs.5.60 lakh on the automatic silage baler-cum-wrapper machine. Milk producers/farmers can make silage of the green fodder during the surplus season of green fodder and sell these bales during fodder shortage months.
Farmers can also earn by dispatching fodder bales to other parts of Punjab and the country. Besides this, small and urban dairy farmers can also get a balanced animal feed all year round at a reasonable price.Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said, livestock management, food, health facilities, better marketing and the use of information technology are important aspects for the success of the dairying.
Thus, a two week-long dairy training program through 9 training centres of the state is conducted so that after this course the youth can start self-employment from their homes. About 6,000 youngsters are trained at these centers every year.
Apart from this, a 4-week dairy entrepreneurship training program is also conducted in which the existing milk producers are given advanced training to take up the dairy profession in a scientific manner and 1000 trainees are given advanced training every year, he added.
The Dairy Development Minister urged the milk producers/farmers to contact their nearest office of Deputy Director Dairy or in-charge Training Center to get training or avail the benefit of these schemes. Dairy Development Department helpline number 0172-5027285 can also be contacted for further information, he added.