These Mobile Veterinary Units will be managed by a centralized call centre with a single Helpline No. 1962. It will receive calls from livestock owners / animal owners, and the veterinarian will prioritize all cases based on their emergency nature and forward them to the nearest MVU for attendance at the farmer's door.
Kerala is deploying 50 MVUs across the state. By dialling 1962, you can now reach the veterinary hospital. These vehicles are outfitted with cutting-edge diagnostic tools, animal treatment and breeding equipment, audio visual aids, and medications.
The Minister emphasised that this intervention will boost dairy breeders' confidence in raising high-producing dairy animals, as most breeders are hesitant to take their livestock to Veterinary Hospitals for treatment and instead rely on quacks for doorstep delivery of services. He added that each MVU will be staffed by a qualified Veterinarian and a Paravet to provide specialised services to livestock farmers.
Extending on the scheme, the Minister stated that it is promising and will transform the dairy sector from a subsistence-based farm livelihood to a commercially viable enterprise by providing gainful employment to Kerala's youth. MVUs will provide farmers and animal owners with diagnosis, treatment, vaccination, artificial insemination, minor surgical interventions, audio-visual aids, and extension services at their doorstep in remote areas.
MVUs will serve as a one-stop shop for veterinary issues and information dissemination to the country's most remote areas. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), MoFAHD, Govt of India has sanctioned 4332 MVUs across the country in the current fiscal year. Dignitaries in attendance included V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, J Chinchu Rani, Binoy Viswam MP, District Panchayat President Suresh Kumar D, Director of Kerala Animal Husbandry Department Dr A Kawshigan IAS, and other officials.
The "Establishment and Strengthening of Veterinary Hospitals and Dispensaries - Mobile Veterinary Units (ESVHD-MVU)" component of the Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH&DC) Scheme provides financial assistance to States/UTs for the delivery of veterinary healthcare services at farmers' doorsteps by providing one MVU per one lakh livestock population.
The scheme provides 100% financial assistance for non-recurring expenditure (at Rs.16.00 lakh/1 MVU) on the procurement and customization of Mobile Veterinary Units (MVUs) and a central share (100% for UTs, 90% for NE & Hilly States, and 60% for all other States) for recurring expenditure (at Rs.18.72 lakh/1 MVU) on the operation of these MVUs in the field for the delivery of veterinary services at the farmer's doorstep.
To provide veterinary services, these MVUs will have one Veterinarian, one Para-veterinarian, and one Driver-cum-attendant. Veterinarian salary has been revised to 56100/pm. The Central Government has allocated Rs.681.57 crore to 33 States/UTs for the procurement of 4332 MVUs during 2021-22.
