Mobile Veterinary Units can curb quackery in Animal Husbandry: Rupala

Pashu Sandesh, 06 Jan 2023

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying inaugurated 29 Mobile Veterinary Units and a centralised call centre in Thiruvananthpuram 0n 5th Jan in a significant step for the benefit of the livestock farmers in Kerala. 

These MVUs will be operated through a centralised call centre with a uniform Helpline No. 1962. It will receive calls from livestock rearers/animal owners and Veterinarians will prioritize all cases on the basis of emergency nature and will transmit them to the nearest MVU for attending at the farmer’s doorstep.

Kerala is deploying 50 MVUs in different districts. Now, the veterinary hospital will be just a call away by dialling 1962. These vehicles are equipped with state of art diagnostic tools, animal treatment and breeding accessories, audio-visual aids and necessary medications.

The Minister highlighted that this intervention will boost the confidence of dairy breeders to rear highly productive dairy animals as most of the breeders are reluctant to take their livestock to a Veterinary Hospital for treatment and usually end up calling quacks for doorstep delivery of services. Each MVU shall be manned by a qualified Veterinarian and a Paravet for providing specialized services to livestock farmers, he added.

Elaborating on the scheme the Minister underlined that the scheme is promising and will transform the dairy sector from a subsistence-based farm livelihood to a commercially viable enterprise by giving gainful employment to the youth of Kerala.

MVUs will provide diagnosis treatment, vaccination, artificial insemination, minor surgical interventions, audio-visual aids and extension services to farmers/animal owners at their doorstep in far-flung areas.

MVUs will act as a one-stop Centre for solutions to veterinary issues and dissemination of information to the remotest areas of the country.

In the current financial year, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), MoFAHD, Govt of India has sanctioned 4332 MVUs across the country.

The event was attended by dignitaries including Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs   Shri V Muraleedharan, Kerala Minister of Animal Husbandry Smt. J Chinchu Rani, Shri Binoy Viswam MP,  District Panchayat President Shri Suresh Kumar D, Director of  Kerala Animal Husbandry Department Dr A Kawshigan IAS and other officials.