Bhubaneswar, Sep 13 (FN Representative) Odisha Government on Friday signed a MoU with National Dairy Development Board for strengthening of State milk cooperative and boosting milk production. The MoU was signed in the Monsoon Meet 2024, held for the first time in Odisha, organised by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying of Government of India. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said, both the Central Government as well as the Government of Odisha are focusing on livestock sector to enhance farmers income, livelihood for unemployed youths and strengthen of women groups. He said, while 100 days of the new Government in Odisha are yet to be completed, the state has prepared a roadmap for bringing transformative changes in all sectors.
“Our agenda has been clear, to create a comprehensive policy framework, that not only addresses immediate concerns, but also long-term development and sustainability“, he said. Majhi said, to boost up the milk production, the state government has formulated a new scheme “Mukhyamantri Kamdhenu Yojana” with an outlay of Rs.1423.47 crore for five years. He said under this scheme there will be assistance for establishing small dairy units, provision of subsidized calf feed, increasing coverage under livestock insurance and strengthening dairy cooperatives. The Chief Minister further said Odisha is also collaborating with the NDDB to set up a vaccine production unit at Berhampur and a state of the art Feed Analytical Laboratory at Bhubaneswar. To strengthen the Poultry & small animal production, the state government, Majhi said, has planned “Prani Sampad Samrudhhi Yojana.”
With an objective of holistic growth of the small animal sector, “Small Animal Breeding Policy” is also under preparation, the Chief Minister said, adding that to further strengthen the livestock health care, mobile veterinary clinics, the government has come up with GOMATA Yojana (Goal for Management and Treatment of Animals). Majhi said the Mukhyamantri Prani Kalyan Yojana” has been introduced in Odisha and the state government has also planned to amend the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1960, with an objective to make it realistic and with focus to reduce cruelty to animals. The Chief Minister said, on account of the “Viksit Odisha, 2036”, the Odisha Government has a vision of a Centralized Integrated Command Centre to monitor livestock health, 24×7 availability of quality livestock health care system at farmers doorstep, referral veterinary hospitals and disease diagnosis facilities in each block of the state, enhancing outreach of the milk federation by establishing milk collection centers and chilling facilities at Gram Panchayat level in the state. Further, focus will be given on climate resilient livestock farming, conservation & development of indigenous breeds of livestock, he said. The State government, Majhi said, aims to establish a Second Semen Station, a goat semen station and an In Vitro Fertilization laboratory in the coming years.