SHIMLA: The rural economy of the state is based on agriculture and animal husbandry is a major component of it. Himachal Pradesh has a total livestock population of about 4.41 million and livestock care is an essential part of every rural household. Proper Care on time can bring a lot of benefit to the farmers and enhance their livelihood.
The state government under the able leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is determined to ensure that livestock is provided quality treatment in a time-bound manner, and the farmer is saved of additional expenses like traveling to the point of care and availing quality medicines. For this, a new project ‘Sanjeevani’ is being started in the state which will help the farmers immensely.
Veterinary services like artificial insemination, medicines, vaccination, surgery, infertility testing, etc. are being provided to livestock in the state. However, to avail of these or to ensure proper healthcare of livestock dairy farmers have to take their livestock to the nearest clinic. This entails expenditure on travel and transport. Sometimes, livestock succumbs to ailment for want of timely treatment. Hence, mobile veterinary clinics are proposed to be set up. These clinics will deliver veterinary services at the doorstep of farmers.
The Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) has signed a MoU with Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd. (BFIL), a subsidiary of IndusInd Bank, for the "Sanjeevani" project. The collaboration under National Animal Disease Control Programme-Mobile Veterinary Van (NADCP-AHD-MVU) will enhance the doorstep delivery of livestock care, making all veterinary services available for farmers at just a phone call away. The toll-free number will be operational soon.
This integrated call centre will work like a single contact point for different matters concerning livestock health care and vaccination programmes. It will act as an effective communication platform between Government and livestock owners. This platform shall provide personalized assistance to the livestock farmers/owners on various aspects such as tele-medical-consultation, information about government schemes, programmes especially Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme, grievance redressal, query resolution etc.
The call centre will ensure coordination between mobile veterinary clinic vehicles and working livestock clinics, to shorten the time taken for extending livestock care. The initiative will save additional expenses of farmers on travelling to the existing clinic and securing quality medicines for ailing livestock.
The doorstep veterinary services will have curative treatment, vaccination, artificial insemination, preventive care and all animal husbandry related information. This initiative will serve farmers at 44 blocks located in 12 districts of the state. The centralized Call Centre at Directorate of Animal Husbandry will be integrated with 44 Mobile Veterinary Ambulances.
Under the initiative Animal Husbandry Department's field veterinary services will be deployed through BFIL's integrated telemedicine and service management platform.
The uniqueness of the initiative lies in its ability to connect the doctor and the farmer through a mobile app, which also tracks the efficiency of service delivery, medicines prescribed, and livestock diseases related data in one platform. The one of its kind telemedicine platform will ensure that the farmer avails quality treatment at the doorstep in a time-bound manner. Apart from veterinary services farmers will also be given guidance on nutrition care for their livestock.
The 'Sanjeevani' project is a farmer-friendly initiative towards empowering the livelihood of small dairy farmers or livestock owners. It will enhance the lives of many farmers from rural remote areas by providing them convenient and quality care for their livestock at their doorstep. Telemedicine and technology contribution will help in reducing the turnaround time of services and arrest outbreaks to one extent. The collaboration will be very beneficial to ensure the farmer with veterinary services in a holistic manner.