Provincial Minister for Livestock and Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani chaired a meeting to review progress on the Punjab Chief Minister Livestock Card, distribution of livestock assets among rural widows and divorced women of south Punjab and other projects at the Livestock Department, here on Wednesday.
Secretary Livestock Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel was present.
The minister said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the livestock sector has made unprecedented progress in less than a year.
Through the card, livestock farmers who have male calves are being provided with interest-free loan facilities of Rs 27,000 per animal while a total of Rs 135,000 to Rs 270,000 is being provided. In two years, a maximum of 80,000 livestock farmers will be given 400,000 animals. So far, 13,181 livestock cards have been received by farmers while more than 14,000 cards have reached at the centres.
He asserted that no negligence will be tolerated in the timely delivery of livestock cards to farmers. Directors posted in all divisions have been ordered to personally visit the livestock card delivery centers on a daily basis.
The provincial minister for Livestock said that the regional directors Livestock Department will also ensure that the number of animals given to the livestock farmers and how many animals they now have, along with a report based on the data of the tagged animals.
This task should be completed by all RDs, deputy directors and veterinary field officers and performance of these officers will be checked on a daily basis, he added. Kirmani endorsed that arrangements should also be made for vaccination of all tagged animals. The approval of 30 percent cash facility from the provincial cabinet needs to be highlighted on print, electronic and social media so that maximum livestock farmers can benefit from it. The minister issued orders to get all tagged animals which will be re-verified by the urban unit.
