HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Aug 17: The state government will come up with a State Health Mission for the veterinary sector in the line of the National Health Mission.
This was announced by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while attending the closing ceremony of the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of the College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara on Thursday.
Sarma also inaugurated the newly-built International Guest House of Assam Agricultural University located at Khanapara.
Speaking at the event that was held at the premises of the College of Veterinary Science, Sarma stressed on creating a live-link between researchers in the field of agriculture and field-level farmers so that the latter are able to enjoy the benefits of the research.
The chief minister said in comparison to states in the rest of the country, the northeastern region and Assam are yet to make best use of the opportunities the agriculture sector offers.
“In order to be able to compete with states such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, among others, an ecosystem that promotes entrepreneurship needs to be built up,” he said, adding that students of agricultural and veterinary science from Assam should focus on becoming job-creators rather than being job-seekers.
Sarma said to meet the country’s milk demand by 2030, milk-production shall have to grow at the rate of 7% year-on-year for the next seven years and that Assam has immense potential for growth in the field.
Further, stating that Assam is far from attaining self-sufficiency in meeting the demand for egg and meat products in the state, chief minister Sarma said an ecosystem needs to be built that unleashes the state’s growth potential in these fields.
Referring to the College of Veterinary Science, the chief minister said that it has managed to add many feathers on its hat in the more than seven decades of its glorious existence.
He also lauded the College of Veterinary Science for producing some of the finest alumni who have made a name for themselves through their professional expertise in the field of veterinary and allied sectors.
Thursday’s event was also attended by Union minister for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying Parshottam Rupala among others.
