Punjab lumpy skin disease: SAD leader slams govt, demands Rs 50,000 compensation for rearers

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], August 16 : Former Union minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal slammed the Punjab government for not taking note of the damage that the 'Lumpy Skin Disease' had been causing in the region and demanded a compensation of Rs 50 thousand per animal to mitigate the burden on the rearers.
She also stressed that the disease had proved to be fatal for hundreds of bovines in the northern state.
"LumpySkinDisease is ravaging livestock in Punjab. Hundreds of bovines have died and thousands are severely infected of this contagious disease that is causing enormous economic loss to our farmers and dairy owners. Unfortunately, AAP-led Punjab govt has failed to do the needful," tweeted Badal.
She further outlined the measures that can be taken by the AAP-led government and listed a compensation of Rs 50 thousand per animal to mitigate the burden on rearers.
"I request Union minister for Animal Husbandry & Dairying Mr @PRupala to send central teams for effective monitoring and vaccination of animals. Meanwhile, CM BhagwantMann should at least release a minimum compensation of Rs 50,000 per animal to mitigate the burden on rearers," she added in another tweet.
Earlier on August 10, with an aim to provide relief to the livestock of the country, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar launched the indigenous vaccine Lumpi-ProVac to protect livestock from Lumpy skin disease.
The vaccine has been developed by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana) in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).
Tomar while launching the vaccine said that livestock is the biggest asset of the country.
Ever since the disease came to India in 2019, research institutes have been engaged in developing the vaccine.
Tomar congratulated the scientists of the Equine Research Center and the Veterinary Research Institute for developing the Lumpy disease vaccine having to comply 100 per cent with all standards, which will be effective in getting rid of Lumpy disease.
Further, Tomar directed the concerned officials to provide this vaccine in large numbers at the earliest for relief to the cattle. He said that there are 30 crore livestock in the country, and considering the plight of mute animals, all possible measures should be taken to provide them relief at the earliest.
Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala, Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary, Secretary Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Jatindra Nath Swain, Director General of ICAR, Dr Himanshu Pathak, Deputy Director General Dr B.N. Tripathi, Dr Triveni Dutt, Director, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Dr Yashpal, Director, National Equine Research Center and other senior officers were present on the occasion.