Rs. 150-crore poultry scheme gets govt. nod

The government has approved a Rs. 150-crore poultry development scheme, which aims to help rural farmers to gain supplementary income from the poultry activities.

The decision to approve the centrally sponsored scheme with two new components, Rural Backyard Poultry Development and Poultry Estates — was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

The government has allotted a total outlay of Rs 150 crore for the scheme, to be implemented during the 11th Five-Year Plan starting from 2009-10.

“The ‘Rural Backyard Poultry Development’ component is expected to cover the beneficiaries from the below poverty line (BPL) to mainly enable them to gain supplementary income and nutritional support," Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the CCEA meeting.

The component is expected to assist 3.85 lakh BPL families, who will be given higher potential birds through 1,285 mother units.

The scheme also encourages small and marginal farmers to develop entrepreneurship skills and provides funds for setting up at least two ‘poultry estates’ in a clustered way on a pilot basis to ensure hygienic production through quality assurance.

As far as the continuing assistance to State poultry farm’ is concerned, it is decided to meet the committed expenditure and take up new projects which were not addressed earlier.

So far, 210 farms have been assisted under the scheme. - PTI

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