Animal Husbandry Schemes and Institutions in India

Animal husbandry plays a vital role in India’s rural economy by providing supplementary income, employment, and nutritional security. The sector is administered at the union level by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Government policies focus on genetic improvement, disease eradication, infrastructure development, and entrepreneurship across dairy, poultry, sheep, goat, and piggery sectors.

Major National Schemes and Programs

Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM)

• The scheme was launched in December 2014 for the development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds.
• It aims to enhance milk production and productivity of bovines using advanced breeding technologies.
• Key components include the establishment of integrated cattle development centers called Gokul Grams.
• It promotes sex-sorted semen production, assisted reproductive technologies like in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and genomic selection.
• National Kamdhenu Breeding Centres were set up under this mission as centers of excellence for indigenous breeds.
• The Pashu Sanjivni component assigns a 12-digit unique identification number through polyurethane ear tags to animals.

National Livestock Mission (NLM)

• The mission was launched in 2014-15 to ensure sustainable growth of the livestock sector, focusing on small ruminants, pigs, and poultry.
• It consists of four primary sub-missions: Livestock Development, Pig Development in the North Eastern Region, Feed and Fodder Development, and Skill Development, Technology Transfer and Extension.
• The scheme provides capital subsidies of up to 50% for rural entrepreneurship projects in poultry, sheep, goat, and fodder production.
• It supports state seed farms and regional fodder stations to produce certified high-yielding fodder seeds.

Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP)

• This is a central sector scheme aimed at controlling and eradicating major economic livestock diseases across the country.
• The National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) is a core component targeting 100% vaccination coverage for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis.
• It funds the deployment of Mobile Veterinary Units (MVUs) to deliver veterinary doorstep services in rural areas.
• The scheme supports the establishment and upgrading of state diagnostic laboratories and biological production units.

Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF)

• The fund was established under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package with a corpus of Rs. 15,000 crore.
• It incentivizes private companies, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and Section 8 companies.
• Eligible activities include setting up dairy processing plants, meat processing facilities, animal feed manufacturing units, and veterinary vaccine production.
• The Central Government provides a 3% interest subvention on loans obtained through scheduled commercial banks.
• Credit guarantee coverage is provided up to 25% of the total credit facility through the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Supporting Dairy Cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organizations (SDCFPO)

• The scheme assists state dairy federations and milk unions by providing working capital loans through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
• It offers an interest subvention of 2% per annum on working capital loans, with an additional incentive of 2% for prompt repayment.

Key Statutory and Autonomous Institutions

Central Livestock Research and Regulatory Bodies

Digital Platforms and Breed Conservation Initiatives

Information Technology Platforms

• e-Gopala App: A comprehensive digital platform that helps farmers manage livestock, purchase disease-free germplasm, track artificial insemination, and access veterinary advice.
• INAPH (Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health): A centralized national database that records animal identification, breeding history, milk recording, and disease events.
• NDLM (National Digital Livestock Mission): An integrated digital architecture connecting farmers, veterinarians, diagnostic labs, and policy makers through digital animal health records.

National Awards for Animal Husbandry

• Gopal Ratna Award: Annual national award given to indigenous cattle and buffalo rearers, artificial insemination technicians, and dairy cooperative societies.
• Kamdhenu Award: Instituted to recognize the best-managed indigenous bovine breeding farms run by institutions and trusts.

Key Facts

• India ranks first in global milk production, contributing nearly a quarter of total global output.
• India has the highest livestock population in the world and ranks first in total buffalo population.
• The Livestock Census in India is conducted periodically every five years; the first census took place in 1919-1920.
• Animal husbandry is a State subject under Entry 15 of List II (State List) in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India.
• Operation Flood was launched in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board, establishing the Anand pattern of dairy cooperatives across India.
• Dr. Verghese Kurien is recognized as the Father of the White Revolution in India.
• National Milk Day is celebrated annually on November 26 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien.
• National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) is the nodal agency that registers and assigns accession numbers to newly recognized indigenous livestock and poultry breeds.
• Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar, and Rathi are premier indigenous milch breeds of cattle in India.
• Murrah, Nili-Ravi, Jaffrabadi, Mehsana, and Bhadawari are major indigenous buffalo breeds known for high milk yield and fat content.
• Jamnapari and Barbari are prominent dual-purpose indigenous goat breeds of India.
• Kankrej and Ongole are prominent dual-purpose cattle breeds capable of yielding milk and providing draft power.