New Delhi: As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Shri Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal husbandry and Dairying, and Shri N.N. Sinha, Secretary, Department of  Rural Development signed an MoU between DAHD and MoRD for Leveraging SHG platform for rural economic growth through the convergence of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), MoFAHD, and National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), MoRD today at Krishi Bhawan in the presence of Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Shri Giriraj Singh, Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.

Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Rural Development and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State for Rural Development also present.

• Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying is giving more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to the farming community through different interventions and flagship programs like AHIDF (Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund), DIDF (Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund), NADCP (National Animal Disease Control Program) for FMD (Foot and Mouth Disease) and Brucellosis etc.
• Recently, the Government has approved the implementation of a Special Livestock Sector Package consisting of several activities by revising and realigning various components of the following existing schemes to have focused development of animal husbandry and dairying across the country for the next 5 years starting from 2021-22.
• Department of Rural development is also working in the similar platform for rural upliftment through various programmes where more women are involved in livelihood activities, especially in the livestock sector. been working
• Therefore, Dovetailing and synergizing efforts of the DAHD and the DoRD in the context of the common objective of helping the farmers and double their income through the livestock sector is the need of the hour.

As per the MoU, it has also decided to use the services of the members of the SHGs as livestock resource persons and primary service providers through a new accredited model named “A-HELP” (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production). This model will be implemented across the country by using the existing cadre developed under DAY-NRLM for livestock (Pashusakhis) by providing further training and accreditation as an A-HELP worker. The mission has more than 40,000 Pashusakhis in its fold. This convergence will help in increasing the outreach of DAHD schemes through these community cadres and also help in additional earning for the cadres thus supporting in enhancing their sustainability.

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala highlighted that the Dovetailing and synergizing efforts of the DAHD and the DRD especially in the context of the common objective of helping the farmers and double their income through the livestock sector is the need of the hour.