SAS Nagar/Chandigarh, Feb 5: Punjab Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Wednesday directed the department officials to complete the ongoing 21st Livestock Census by the end of February 2025. Emphasizing the importance of impeccable data collection about the number of animals based on their breeds and other characteristics, he said that this comprehensive field survey will serve as an important touchstone, which will highlight the current status of the livestock sector and set the stage for future planning, besides, helping in making informed decisions and promoting sustainable practices across the sector.
S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian along with Dr. Sukhpal Singh, Chairman, Punjab State Farmers and Farm Labourers Commission reviewed the ongoing projects at the Livestock Complex in Sector-68, SAS Nagar (Mohali) with Animal Husbandry officials. He also ordered the officers to launch a massive vaccination drive against Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in the state from next week. He informed that the state government has procured sufficient number of goat pox vaccines to vaccinate all the 25 lakh cattle against this deadly disease.
S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian also reviewed the status of the upcoming project of indoor services to be started in six veterinary polyclinics at Patiala, Amritsar, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Sangrur, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana. These polyclinics will provide a wide range of indoor services including acute disease management, surgery, post-operation care, lab tests, X-ray and ultrasound facilities for pets and livestock.
He asked the Deputy Directors to get success stories of farmers from each district who have benefited from the services of the Animal Husbandry Department so that other farmers are also encouraged by it. Principal Secretary Animal Husbandry Department Mr. Rahul Bhandari apprised the Cabinet Minister that for the first time in the State, the role of women in the animal husbandry sector is being taken into consideration and a total of 16 different species of animals and poultry are being counted. Data is being collected digitally through mobile application. The enumerators have already covered more than 35.36 lakh households with a target to cover more than 64.78 lakh estimated households.
He informed that a total of 45,51,483 households were covered during the last census. Director Animal Husbandry Department Dr. GS Bedi assured the Cabinet Minister Mr. Gurmeet Singh Khuddian that the ongoing field survey would be completed in the stipulated time. He informed that the department is doing excellent work in terms of treatment of animals as well as preventive measures including vaccination against various diseases. The high level meeting was attended by all the District Heads of Animal Husbandry Department and other senior officers of the Department.