Minister for Rural Industries and Animal Husbandry Pongalur N. Palanisamy has underlined the need for managing the animal population as that alone would be able to ensure the prosperity of farming community.
Speaking at the Pongal Week celebrations and declaring open a number of new buildings, at a function organised by the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) here on Thursday, he pointed out that it was in Tamil Nadu that the first veterinary university was established in the entire Asia as early as 1989.This was done by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to focus on the importance of animal husbandry. Thus this university had become the pioneer for the 11 more universities in various parts of the country.
Recounting how he had always been championing the cause of veterinarians, he said the pay scales of graduates in Veterinary Science were brought on a par with that of Bachelors in Medicine and Surgery. “Earlier there was a vast difference between the two though the job of treating the animals is far more difficult than that of treating human beings,” he explained. “This has been done only in Tamil Nadu”, he added.
Listing the various achievements of the State Government in the animal husbandry sector during the current term, he said it had conducted 26,000 animal health camps which helped treat more than 2.5 crore animals.
Minister for Fisheries K.P.P. Samy lamented that despite the enormous export potential for ornamental fish, the contribution of India was hardly one per cent at the global level. It was the smaller South Asian countries which were contributing as much as 80 per cent. He said that the conducive climate, the 300 varieties of fish, different types of water sources, coral reefs and entrepreneurial spirit in Tamil Nadu should help ornamental fish rearing in a big way in this State.
Secretary for Animal Husbandry M.B. Nirmala, who stressed the importance of backyard poultry and promoting desi chicken, also urged the researchers to interact with the public more so that the technology that they had evolved could reach the ultimate beneficiary.
Commissioner for Animal Husbandry M. Malik Feroze Khan said, while the State was self sufficient in dry fodder, it was in production of the green fodder it was falling short almost by 30 per cent.
Vice-Chancellor of the university R. Prabakaran said the research at the institution had helped in the evolution of oral pellet vaccine.
