Principal Secy APD reviews progress on major schemes of Animal Husbandry Deptt

Principal Secretary APD chairing a meeting on Saturday.
Principal Secretary APD chairing a meeting on Saturday.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, July 12: Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department (APD), Shailendra Kumar, today chaired a review meeting at Directorate of Animal Husbandry, here.
The meeting was attended by Secretary in APD; Mission Director HADP/JKCIP; Directors in APD; Joint Directors; Deputy Directors; Chief Animal Husbandry Officers from all districts of Jammu division besides other senior officers of the department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.
The meeting had detailed discussion regarding progress on various schemes and programmes under CAPEX, HADP, CSSs and NABARD of Animal Husbandry sector in Jammu division for the current financial year.
Shailendra Kumar reviewed the physical and financial progress on several key CSS schemes including Rashtriya Gokul Mission, Entrepreneurship Development under National Livestock Mission, National Animal Disease Control Programme and Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme.
A comprehensive presentation was delivered by Director Animal Husbandry Jammu, Dr. Parvinder Singh, providing an overview of district wise progress achieved under different schemes. The status of ongoing Foot and Mouth disease vaccination for cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats under NADCP was discussed. Besides, the existing cold-chain and other vital infrastructure status was evaluated to identify any gaps or need for additional equipment or infrastructure. Other topics included the components under Dairy Development, Poultry Development and Development of Fodder Resources of J&K UT under flagship Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP).
The Principal Secretary underscored the need for promoting the cooperative movement in the Jammu division. He stressed that the cooperative societies are instrumental in promoting financial inclusion by providing credit to farmers and small entrepreneurs who may face difficulties in accessing conventional banking services. ‘These societies play a crucial role in rural development, empower local communities and reduce socio-economic disparities’, he added.
He further advised the officials to increase the coverage of organized dairy sector, promote value addition of milk and develop marketing strategies to strengthen the dairy cooperative sector in the region.
The Principal Secretary stressed the need for completion of all sanctioned projects at the earliest besides improving financial progress by achieving above 90% expenditures across all the works undertaken.