Punjab vaccinates domesticated animals

Punjab News Express
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government has vaccinated domesticated animals to prevent outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease. The Government has already issued instructions to provide free vaccination and appealed to the farmers to get their cattle vaccinated in the nearest veterinary hospitals.

Disclosing this, Mr. Gulzar Singh Ranike, Animal Husbandry Minister said that the Department has launched a state wide sustained and intensive drive for mass vaccination of cattle focussed on foot and mouth disease control campaign which would continue till 31 January, 2016.

The Minister said that Punjab Government was fully aware of the necessities of checking the outbreak of Foot & Mouth Disease and therefore decided to fix accountability of erring employees in this case. He said that Foot & Mouth Disease vaccination has also been brought in the ambit of Right to Service Act (RTS), where every aggrieved citizen has the right to complain to the authorities. He said that it has been mandated that employees must vaccinate the cattle within stipulated time and in the case of any lapse as per the provision of RTS every cattle rearer could lodge a complaint with concerned SDM or respected Deputy Commissioners and get his complaint redressed within a stipulated time frame.

He said that Animal Husbandry Department has issued advisory to all the farmers to get the cattle vaccinated at the earliest as loss of cattle due to the disease would hit the economy of farmers as they would not be able to export meat, milk and other milk products.

The Animal Husbandry department has already opened a helpline numbers at 0181-2242335 and 0172-2701324 and farmers can also get more information on the official website of department at www.husbandrypunjab.org.