The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, December 25
To ensure the health and well-being of pets and animals in a comfortable setting in the state, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government will soon commence indoor services at six Veterinary Polyclinics in the state.
Disclosing this major development today, Punjab Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that funds worth over Rs 1.85 crore have been provided for ramping up services at veterinary facilities and equipments are also being provided to start the indoor services at Veterinary Polyclinics in Patiala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Sangrur, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana. These polyclinics will offer a range of indoor services for pets and animals including acute illness management, surgeries, post-operative care, lab tests, X-rays and ultrasound facilities soon.
Highlighting the achievements of the Animal Husbandry department Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that all the cattle-heads were administered with goat pox vaccine doses twice free of cost to prevent the lumpy skin disease. All the eligible animals have also been vaccinated with Foot and Mouth vaccine twice a year. During current year, 126.22 lakh doses of Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine were inoculated free of cost to the livestock in two rounds to protect them from FMD.
He further informed that 1,75,000 doses of frozen sexed semen (to produce only female calves) were procured at a cost of Rs. 11.81 crore to improve the economic condition of the livestock farmers of the state as well as to solve the menace of stray animals. 326 new Veterinary Officers, 538 Veterinary Inspectors and 59 Group C posts have been filled and recruitment of 405 more Veterinary Officers is under process to provide better animal healthcare services to the livestock farmers, he added.
The Animal Husbandry department’s Principal Secretary Rahul Bhandari said that dewormers have been purchased with Rs. 6.37 crore and distributed to all the livestock farmers in the state under the Mass Deworming Campaign. Apart from this, medicines worth Rs 3 crore have been provided to hospitals/dispensaries for the treatment of animals and medicines worth Rs 1 crore are also being purchased. The department has also organised 199 animal welfare and awareness camps in the state and 21st livestock census is being conducted in the state, he added. Dr G S Bedi, Director Animal Husbandry department, said that first time in the history of tricity Animal Husbandry Department was a host partner in the Pet Expo held in Parade Ground, Chandigarh on December 21 & 22, 2024.
