SHILLONG:
With a motto to encourage the youth to take up livestock entrepreneurship, the Principal Secretary of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department, GHP Raju informed that the department will conduct awareness programmes in degree colleges even as he maintained that educated youths are not forthcoming when it comes to livestock entrepreneurship.
Speaking to The Meghalayan, he said, “The Animal Husbandry department in its Golden Jubilee year has taken this as a mission to reach out to educated youths about the livestock missions. This is our motto this year where we will conduct a series of programmes and workshops in degree colleges.”
Asked whether the youth are forthcoming to venture into livestock entrepreneurship, he said, “As of now, there is a lukewarm response. Maybe there is lack of awareness of government schemes. In this golden jubilee year, the teams of animal husbandry department will visit the degree colleges in all 12 districts once colleges re-open and conduct awareness programmes on all the developmental schemes.”
He was hopeful that this initiative will be acceptable to the educated youth provided they get correct guidance and information.
“Livestock is the key for our rural economy. Livestock entrepreneurship will transform Meghalaya’s rural economy. Why should educated youth take up livestock related entrepreneurship, it is because government jobs are limited,” he said.
Pointing out that nearly thousands of graduates are coming out every year while government jobs are roughly around thousands, he said that it is impossible for the government to accommodate these thousands of youth every year. He added that livestock entrepreneurship has huge absorption capacity.
Raju informed that the Government of India has introduced new scheme under the National Livestock Mission (NLM) 2022 wherein the Centre is subsidizing huge amounts of money for the livestock entrepreneurs who want to take up projects under poultry mission, piggery mission, goat mission, cattle especially for milk purpose.
The Centre is encouraging local populace to take up livestock mission/the livestock entrepreneurship programmes, cattle breeding for milk purpose under the new NLM.
A maximum of Rs 2 crore subsidy will be given to the farmer/entrepreneur for construction of cattle shed to house minimum 200 cows, the Government of India is extending a subsidy of nearly Rs 30 lakh for pig breeding, as for poultry farming, it is giving a subsidy of nearly Rs 25 lakh and extending a subsidy of nearly Rs 50 lakh for goat rearing. He said that the entrepreneur has to invest in buying the livestock.
He added it is a benefit for the local tribal educated youth to take up livestock entrepreneurship.
“Everybody wants a government job but there is a limitation. You can’t create jobs for each and every educated youth by the government, it is just not possible. But the government has come up with excellent entrepreneurship schemes with subsidy component and capital component with zero percent interest. I request the educated youth to take up livestock related projects under piggery, poultry, milk and goat mission. Enough capital is available as a loan amount with zero percent interest,” Raju said.
Besides, he said that the Centre’s schemes are available for construction of sheds for livestock.
To handle livestock is a specialised subject for which skill development is important, in this connection, under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, the Labour Department is organising training programmes for the youth including the programme for livestock skills.
“The livestock related skilling programme will be conducted for the educated youth,” he said.
With several missions under the NLM, Raju pointed out that it will be a win-win situation for the youth and has urged the youth to take up livestock related entrepreneurship because there is a huge demand for pork, beef and meat including fish in the state.
“The Animal Husbandry department request the educated youth to take up livestock mission not only for their employment but also creating jobs for others, adequate funding is there from the government and subsidy is available from NLM. This is a great opportunity for the educated youth in this golden jubilee year of our beautiful state. In a span of 24 months, the rural and urban youth can become a livestock entrepreneur,” he said.