Punjab News/Punjab government initiates 'Women Empowerment Scheme' to promote dairy development

Chandigarh, November 26, 2013: Further boosting the dairy farming in the state, the Punjab Government has started 'Women Empowerment Scheme' to promote allied occupation like dairy in the women farmer fraternity.
Disclosing this here today, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike said that under this new initiative, the Punjab Government would provide free dairy training to the women farmers to establish dairy farms having capacity of 20 animals besides this, subsidy would also be given for the construction of sheds and purchase of animals.
Ranike said that to divert the farmers towards commercial dairy farming from conventional wheat-paddy crop circle, 45 days special entrepreneurship training is being given to farmers with special focus on improving quality of milk. Mr. Ranike said that training program is running in all the dairy training centers in the state under which special emphasis is given on breeding  and milk management so that dairy farmers could make themselves self dependent. The Minister further said the special training would assist farmers in establishing commercially viable units of dairy farming for milk production with special stress on economical and scientific animal housing, herd management system, mechanisation and remunerative market of milk. He said that Rs.1.5 lac would be given to cross breed cows and Rs.1 lac for buffalos housing herd. 25 percent subsidy  (maximum limit 12,500/- per animal) would be given for purchase of any breed of milch animals. He said that 50 per cent subsidy is being provided for bulk milk cooler with generator set and its maximum limit is for Rs.4 lac.
He further said that under milk consumer awareness campaign, dairy farmers have been trained in village level camps by mobile laboratories through documentary film of dairy farming . He said that  the samples of cattle feed has  been tested. He said that 50 per cent subsidy has been given on milking machine, milking parlor and fodder harvester besides 50 percent subsidy for biogas plant.