The Central government will study the model for fighting Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) — the viral disease affecting cattle and buffaloes, said Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala on Sunday, after visiting an isolation centre that was opened at Porbandar GIDC.
The minister praised the concept and facilities at the centre set up on public private partnership (PPP) basis, jointly by Uday Karavadra Charitable Trust (UKCT), Animal Welfare Trust, Porbandar-Chhaya municipality and Vijay Vadukar, a BJP worker. The centre is set up at a coal processing factory belonging to Vadukar, while UKCT is an NGO run by Manisha Karavadra working for animal welfare.
“Reviewed the situation arising out of Lumpy Skin Disease spreading among livestock and visited an isolation centre set up by Uday Karavadra Charitable Trust and Animal Welfare Trust in Porbandar… Felicitated veterinarians and volunteers of the trust for showing high level of human sensitivity,” Rupala posted on Twitter after the visit in the morning.
The Union Minister was accompanied by Porbandar District Collector Ashok Sharma, IVF scientist Shyam Zawar, former minister and sitting BJP MLA Babu Bokhiria and Porbandar district development officer VK Advani among others.
As per the animal husbandry department of Porbandar district panchayat, an outbreak of LSD has been reported in Porbandar city. The city has reported 596 confirmed cases and 41 deaths due to the viral disease. The district has cattle population of 64,000, officers said, adding 14,673 of them have been given goat pox vaccine.
The isolation centre, modelled on the Covid-19 isolation ward, has seen 372 cattle heads. Of them, 144 are being treated, 80 are under observation and 107 have recovered, officials said.
“The isolation ward opened by local NGOs for providing medical treatment, vaccination, etc., to animals and which takes care of such animals for eight to 10 days even after they recover is a positive news,” Rupala said after visiting the centre.
17 districts affected Gujarat Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Raghavji Patel said that 17 districts have been affected and more than 1,240 cattle had died due to the viral disease till Saturday, and over 5.74 lakh animals have been vaccinated against it.
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As many as 50,328 affected cattle have been treated across 1,746 villages in the affected districts, the minister said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress has accused the government of not revealing the exact toll of the disease and demanded compensation to farmers, who have lost their cattle.