Kohima, September 8 (MExN): A state level awareness cum strategy meet to promote livestock rearing under Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS) and National Livestock Mission (NLM) – Entrepreneurship Development & Employment Generation (EDEG) was organised jointly by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary, GoN and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) at The Eastgate Hotel, Kohima on September 7.
The programme was well attended by all the major stakeholders including banks, insurance companies and progressive livestock farmers from different parts of the State.
MK Mero, Commissioner & Secretary, Dr. Viral Yore, Additional Director, Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary, GoN and A. Chakrabarty, General Manager, NABARD were the main speakers in the programme.
Powerpoint presentations indicating highlights of both the schemes were made. In terms of the Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme, subsidy of 33.33% and in terms of Entrepreneurship Development & Employment Generation for pursuing poultry, piggery, goatery, rabbitry, etc activities, subsidy of 50% for SC/ST entrepreneurs is available, it was clarified.
It was stressed that entrepreneurs, in addition to rearing of livestock, should also take up rearing of heifer calves, vermin-composting, milk processing, establishment of private veterinary clinics, setting-up of dairy marketing outlet/dairy parlour, Pig/Rabbit/Poultry Bird Breeding Farms, Retail Pork Outlets/Feed Mixing Units, etc for which also subsidy is available.
To give a boost to dairying, piggery, poultry, rabbitry, etc. activities through bank loan under the above credit linked capital subsidy schemes of GoI, it was decided to adopt activity based cluster approach to ensure effective implementation, monitoring, viability and visibility. Further, it was decided that group approach, especially Joint Liability Group (JLG), will be adopted for linking the livestock farmers to banks for credit support.
The Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) of all the districts were requested to conduct awareness programmes on DEDS and NLM-EDEG in their respective districts in collaboration with banks, insurance companies and NABARD for the benefit of livestock farmers. They were also requested to identify potential activity based clusters to facilitate various interventions including trainings of the identified livestock farmers.
