V&AH deptt officers’ conference, RRT training

State department of veterinary and animal husbandry (V&AH) organised officers’ conference and rapid response team (RRT) training on avian influenza at capital convention centre here on Thursday.
Speaking at the opening programme, parliamentary secretary for V&AH, S. Chuba Longkumer, asked the department officers and doctors to test livestock and check meat processing facilities, transportation and production to reduce contamination.
S.Chuba said that rearing of animals and farming was part and parcel of Naga culture yet people were ill-informed. He cited that when animal suffers from disease or accident, instead of taking to veterinaries, the only option seemed to be slaughtering and consuming.
Asserting that by taking care of domestic animals, the veterinarians were taking care of ecosystems and human well-being, parliamentary secretary said veterinarians were in high demand as well as rewarding. He then stressed on the need to educate people about importance of the department, to solve unemployment problem and boost the economy of the country.  Speaking as the guest of honour, commissioner and secretary V&AH, L.H. Thangi Manen maintained that government records and statics were sceptical because most of it was “unrealistic”. 
She stated that CSS funding was going to get reduced as centre was adamant in doing away with the special category state, though North East states were fighting for it.
Manen said a programme had been chalked out for awareness of diary schemes which would provide linking with the bank, NABARD and entrepreneurs.
Proposing to close down the establishments that were not doing well, V&AH commissioner & secretary said farms doing well would be given more concentration.
She also informed the officers that from next month, every week there would be a sensitization programme for five districts initially and then to other districts.
She informed the concerned officers to keep in touch with bank as Diary Entrepreneur Development Scheme (DEDS) was to be implemented and reports were to be submitted to the ministry.
Delivering keynote address, V&AH additional director,  Dr. I.P. Khala  said on state-wide inspection of all the 231 Veterinary institutes in all 11 districts, manned by 1239 staffs — 160 were functional, 50 Non-functional and 9 partially functional and three did not exist.
Also, out of 40 farms, three were non-existent and seven non-functional.
Stating that National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS) under CSS was a very innovative scheme, he, however, said its services were not carried out in the entire centres.
He also said that many funding agencies were willing to come forward to help the state technically, infrastructural, financially and through entrepreneurship development.
Earlier, welcome address was delivered by Director V&AH while the gathering was enthralled with a special number by Dr Tolto Metha.
This was followed by a technical session. More than hundred officers and doctors from all the districts attended the conference. Technical session-1 and technical session-2 would be held on May 29.