SCHEME FOR CONSERVATION OF THREATENED
BREEDS OF SMALL RUMINANTS, PIGS AND PACK ANIMALS LAUNCHED
CONSULTATIVE
COMMITTEE OF AGRICULTURE MINISTRY MEETS
A new centrally sponsored
scheme has been launched for conservation of threatened breeds
of small ruminants, pigs and pack animals. A provision of 15 crore
rupees has been made in the 10th Plan for the scheme. The Agriculture
Minister Shri Rajnath Singh said this while addressing a meeting
of the Consultative Committee of his Ministry here today. Under
the scheme named ‘Conservation of Threatened Breeds of Small Ruminants,
Pigs, Pack Animals and Equines’, central assistance will be provided
as 100 % grant to State Governments, NGOs, etc.
The Agriculture Minister
said that small ruminants, pack animals, equine and pigs are being
maintained by 6 million small and marginal farmers and agricultural
labourers in the country. It is important to put a check on genetic
deterioration of small ruminants which include sheep and goat
and pack animals which include horses, donkey, ponies, camel and
yak. At present, there are 42 breeds of sheep, 20 breeds of goat,
6 breeds of camel, 6 breeds of horses and ponies and 3 breeds
of yak. Some of these have come in the category of threatened
breeds over the years due to various reasons. Some of the threatened
breeds are double humped camel, Sikkim yak, wild asses , Zanskari
ponies, Kathiawadi and Marwadi horses; Asakushu-une (long haired),
Teressa, Barbari, Jamunapari, Jaunpuri, Karnah, Gurez, Bhakarwal,
Lohi, Bompala, Tibetian and Pashmina goats; Jalauni, Muzuffarnagri,
Pugal, Chokla and Malpura sheep, etc. State Governments are finding
it difficult to save these threatened breeds due to poor financial
resources. Shri Rajnath Singh said that preservation of these
threatened breeds of livestock and improvement in their productivity
can play an important role in providing rural employment and meeting
the international obligation of conservation of such breeds for
future generations.
Participating
in the deliberations, the Members appreciated the launch of the
scheme, but expressed the view that the amount sanctioned for
the scheme is too little. They also expressed the need for effective
monitoring of implementation of the scheme. Responding to the
suggestions made by the Members, the Agriculture Minister said
that during the mid-term review of the 10th plan, efforts would
be made to get the plan allocation for the scheme increased.
The Members who
attended the meeting included: S/shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Rattan
Lal Kataria, K.P.Siingh Deo, Haribhai Chaudhary, Ram Murti Singh
Verma, Devendra Singh Yadav, Pyare Lal Shankhwar, Kalava Srinivasulu,
Chaoba Singh and Mahendra Singh Pal from Lok Sabha and S/shri
M.J.Varkey Mattathil and V.V.Raghavan from the Rajya Sabha.
