The Odisha government has decided to provide free treatment and vaccination for livestock from March 1, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik said Thursday.

The government has taken a path-breaking step in respecting the request of the people of the state. Fees have been exempted from the treatment and vaccination of animals like cattle, goats and sheep. People of the state will get this free veterinary facility from March 1, Mallik posted on X.

“We have taken this decision, giving priority to free public veterinary care and the protection of livestock. I believe this decision will be helpful to the farmer brothers and sisters who are interested in livestock,” he said in the post.

Meanwhile, the Odisha Milk Farmers’ Association (OMFA), a body of dairy farmers, has demanded a universal health insurance scheme for livestock like the central government’s Ayushman Bharat scheme and the state’s Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana.

OMFA president Rabi Behera has written a letter to the state Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik in this regard.

Behera said farmers and livestock rearers in rural areas of the state treated it as a promising source of income and livelihood.

The new BJP government has also been promoting cattle farming and providing various subsidies and initiatives, he said.

“Many times, it was seen that the livestock animals became victims of various diseases. The concerned poor farmers are unable to provide quality treatment to the animals.

“So, we demanded the government to come up with a universal health insurance scheme like the Ayushman Bharat scheme,” he said.

Source - https://www.orissapost.com