Mobile vet units will improve dairy farming, says Union Minister

Now, the veterinary hospital will be just a call away by dialling 1962. In a significant step for the benefit of the livestock farmers in Kerala, 29 mobile veterinary units (MVUs) and a centralised call centre were launched here on Thursday.

Speaking after the inaugurating the function, Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, said this intervention would boost the confidence of dairy breeders to rear high-productive dairy animals as most breeders were reluctant to take their livestock to veterinary hospital for treatment and usually end calling quacks for doorstep delivery of services.

Para-vet worker

Each MVU shall be manned by a qualified veterinarian and a para-veterinary worker for providing specialised services to livestock farmers. 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 the Kerala.

These MVUs will be operated through a centralised call centre with a uniform helpline 1962. It will receive calls from livestock rearers or animal owners and the veterinarian will prioritise all cases on the basis of emergency nature and will transmit them to the nearest MVU for attending at farmer’s doorstep.

50 MVUs in State

Kerala is deploying 50 MVUs in different districts. These vehicles are equipped with state of art diagnostic tools, animal treatment and breeding accessories, audio visual aids and necessary medications. MVUs will also provide diagnosis treatment, vaccination, artificial insemination, minor surgical interventions, audio-visual aids and extension services to farmers and animal owners at their doorstep in far flung area.

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), Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has sanctioned 4,332 MVUs across the country. The inaugural event was attended by dignitaries including Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan, Minister of Animal Husbandry J. Chinchurani and others.