News: Prime Minister has launched several initiatives under Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
Facts:
About the Initiatives:
- Semen Station: It has been established in Purnea, Bihar to develop and conserve indigenous breeds of Bihar and meet demand of semen doses of eastern and north eastern States.
- IVF lab: It has been established at Animal Sciences University,Patna for propagating elite animals of indigenous breeds and thereby enhancing milk production and productivity manifold.
- Sex sorted semen in artificial insemination(AI): It has been launched at Baroni Milk Union in Bihar.Through the use of sex sorted semen in AI only female calves can be produced (with more than 90% accuracy).This will help double the growth rate of milk production in the country.
Additional Facts:
- Rashtriya Gokul Mission: It was launched in 2014 under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development.
- Nodal Ministry: Department of Animal Husbandry and dairying, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Objectives:
- development and conservation of indigenous breeds
- breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds to improve their genetic makeup and increase the stock
- enhancement of milk production and productivity
- upgradation of nondescript cattle using elite indigenous breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Deoni, Tharparkar, Red Sindhi and
- distribution of disease free high genetic merit bulls for natural service.
- Implementation: It is being implemented through “State Implementing Agencies(SIA) viz Livestock Development Boards”.
- Gokul Grams: They will act as Centres for development of Indigenous Breeds and a dependable source for supply of high genetic breeding stock to the farmers in the breeding tract.
