Gopal Ratna Award 2022 announced

Pashu Sandesh, 23 November 2022

Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying announced the National Gopal Ratna Awards 2022 today. The Award is conferred in three categories, namely,

1. Best Dairy Farmer Rearing Indigenous Cattle/buffalo Breeds,
2. Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) and
3. Best Dairy Cooperative/ Milk Producer Company/ Dairy Farmer Producer Organization).

After following due procedure, the Department of Animal Husbandry declared the winners in each category as under:  

The award consists of a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh for 1st rank, Rs. 3 lakh for 2nd rank and Rs. 2 lakh for 3rd rank along with a Certificate of merit and a memento in each category. The applications were invited through the online application portal i.e. https://awards.gov.in  developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) from 01.08.2022 to 10.10.2022. A total of 2412 applications were received.

The awards will be conferred to the winners in a function organized by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Govt. of India on 26^th November 2022 at Dr Babu Rajendra Prasad International Convention Centre, GKVK Campus, Bengaluru, Karnataka as a part of National Milk day celebration 2022.

Background:

National Gopal Ratna Award is one of the highest National Awards in the field of livestock and dairy sector, with an objective to recognize and encourage all indi-viduals like Farmers rearing indigenous animals, AI Technicians and Dairy cooperatives societies / Milk Producer Companies / Dairy farmers Producers Organizations working in this sector.

The livestock sector is crucial to the Indian economy today, comprising one-third of the agriculture and allied sector GVA and having over 8% CAGR. At the same time, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries activities play a significant role in generating farmer income, particularly among the landless, small and marginal farmers and women, besides providing cheap and nutritious food to millions of people.

Indigenous bovine breeds of India are robust and possess the genetic potential to play a crucial role in the national economy. In the absence of a specific programme on developing and conserving indigenous breeds, their population has been declining and their performance is below the potential. Thus the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying initiated the “Rashtriya Gokul Mission”, under National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development in December 2014 with a view to conserve and developing indigenous bovine breeds.