Context:
Union Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairying has unveiled the ‘A-HELP’ (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production) programme.
‘A-HELP’ (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production) programme:
- Aim: To empower women by engaging them as trained agents who contribute significantly to disease control, artificial insemination under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), animal tagging, and livestock insurance.
- Collaborative effort by – Ministries of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, and Rural Development.
- Women from State Rural Livelihood Mission groups called ‘A-HELP’.
- A-HELPs assist in Rashtriya Gokul Mission’s artificial insemination.
- They also protect livestock from infectious diseases.
- A-HELP acts as bridge to veterinary services for farmers.
About Livestock Census:
- Conducted periodically since 1919-20.
- Held every 5 years, encompassing all domesticated animals and headcounts.
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying coordinates with State Governments and UT Administrations.
- Counting is conducted on-site, encompassing both rural and urban regions.
- 20th Livestock Census (2018) introduced online transmission of household-level data from the field.
- Benefits policymakers, agriculturists, traders, entrepreneurs, dairy industry, and the public.
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
Which of the following is the chief characteristic of ‘mixed farming’?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2012 Prelims]
(a) Cultivation of both cash crops and food crops
(b) Cultivation of two or more crops in the same field
(c) Rearing of animals and cultivation of crops together
(d) None of the above
