To further strengthen the animal healthcare network in the state, Punjab Government is all set to recruit 300 Veterinary Officers. The states Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, reviewing the ongoing projects of the department on Friday, informed that the recruitment process has already been initiated by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) for the same.   Notably, the State Government has already recruited as many as 326 Veterinary Officers and 536 Veterinary Inspectors in the past two years.   The Minister said that an action plan, worth Rs 93 crore, has been submitted to the Government of India for procurement of medicines and equipment in Veterinary hospitals.   He also directed the Department officials to complete the vaccination drive being undertaken against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Hemorrhagic Septicaemia by June 30, 2024. While assuring the Minister to accomplish the drive in the prescribed time frame, Animal Husbandry director Dr Ranjiv Bali apprised the Minister that around 78 percent and 75 percent livestock has been covered under the drive against FMD and Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, respectively, so far.   To encourage farmers to adopt dairy farming, Khudian said that the Dairy Development Department is providing 25 percent financial assistance to the general category and 33 percent to the Scheduled Caste category beneficiaries on the purchase of milch animals, on the prescribed rate of Rs 70,000 per animal. The Department has given around Rs two crore as financial assistance for 1,089 milch animals during 2023-24, he added.

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