A HELP Program

In News

• ‘A HELP Program’ launched in the State of Uttarakhand.

What is an A-HELP Program?

• About: 
  • The ‘A-HELP’ training programme is being run jointly by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
  • In the programme, members of women self-help groups registered under State Rural Livelihood Mission, who are helping in various animal husbandry activities in the form of Pashu Sakhi, will be trained as ‘A-HELP’ (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production).
• Significance:
  • A-HELP are community-based women activists, who assist veterinarians in local departmental activities, help livestock farmers to take loans for entrepreneurship development, fill applications, mark the ear tagging of animals and register them in INAF portal and help with insurance etc. 
  • ‘A-HELP’ assistance can be taken in implementation of various schemes and in providing information to the farmers at grassroots level.

Rashtriya Gokul Mission

• The Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) has been implemented for development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds since December 2014. 
• The scheme is also continued under the umbrella scheme Rashtriya Pashudhan Vikas Yojana from 2021 to 2026.
• Objectives:
  • To enhance productivity of bovines and increase milk production in a sustainable manner using advanced technologies.
  • To propagate use of high genetic merit bulls for breeding purposes.
  • To enhance Artificial insemination coverage through strengthening breeding network and delivery of Artificial insemination services at farmers doorstep.
  • To promote indigenous cattle & buffalo rearing and conservation in a scientific and holistic manner.

National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP)

• To vaccinate over 600 million cattle in the country in an effort to mitigate the two diseases namely, the Foot & Mouth Disease, & brucellosis.
• To control livestock diseases by 2025, and eradicate them by 2030.
• The livestock that will be covered under the programme includes cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and pigs against the FMD.
• The project will be fully funded by the Central Government.
• The programme envisages 100% ear tagging of the eligible animal population.

Other Initiatives 

• Dairy Sahakar scheme: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, introduced in 2014-15, with the objective of sustainable development of livestock.
• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF): Fund helps to  increase milk and meat processing capacity and product diversification thereby providing greater access for unorganized rural milk and meat producers to organized milk and meat markets.
• Pashu-Aadhar: It is a unique ID on a digital platform for traceability for the
• animals.
• National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM)
• Livestock Health & Disease Control (LH&DC) Scheme: It aims to reduce risk to animal health by prophylactic vaccination against diseases of animals, capacity building of Veterinary services, disease surveillance and strengthening veterinary infrastructure. 
• Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) Scheme: 
  • Launched: 21st December 2017
  • Objectives: To modernize the milk processing & chilling plants including value addition
• E-GOPALA app
• Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme

Source: PIB