Sheep scheme hits a snag

Sheep scheme hits a snag
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Highlights

With non-availability of adequate number of sheep which meet the government specifications, officials are finding it difficult to meet the targets. About 500 to 600 units are being distributed daily on an average, whereas it should have been about 2,000 units to reach the target of 73,800 units (within a month). The NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation) has released of Rs 700 crore f

Hyderabad: With non-availability of adequate number of sheep which meet the government specifications, officials are finding it difficult to meet the targets. About 500 to 600 units are being distributed daily on an average, whereas it should have been about 2,000 units to reach the target of 73,800 units (within a month). The NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation) has released of Rs 700 crore for the scheme.

According to official sources, the distribution has just crossed 4 per cent (3,844 units) so far. The teams formed by the government for sheep procurement, despite their stay for more than a week at a place, are unable to convince the farmers in other States that they would buy sheep selectively. For distribution, the age of the sheep should be less than one and half years. This specification has become a major hurdle for the procurement as they are not available in required numbers.

Farmers are not willing to sell them selectively. They want their entire stock to be purchased including the young ones. While on the other hand, States like, AP have already started discouraging farmers from selling sheep to Telangana. According official sources, they feel that if the sale of sheep in large numbers continues it would affect availability of meat in the State.

The officials have indicated that there could be change in the system sheep were being distributed to the beneficiaries. Currently, government is directly involved in procuring and distribution. But given the hurdles, there could be possibility of transfer of amount to beneficiaries account for direct procurement.

During the recently held review meeting, the Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav took the officials to task for delay in the distribution of the sheep. He instructed the officials to improve coordination between the Animal Husbandry Department and the teams that visit other States for procurement. He asked the officials to submit a report on the scheme twice in a day. He also called upon the officials not to hesitate in coming with suggestions for improvement.

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