Cattle hostels in Relief and Rehabilitation colonies soon: Karimnagar Dairy chairman

Manakondur MLA Rasamayi Balakishan said he would take it forward by identifying government land for the cattle hostels

Rajanna-Sircilla: Karimnagar Dairy chairman Ch Rajeshwara Rao mooted the idea of setting up cattle hostels in all Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) colonies of various irrigation projects to provide the oustees an alternate source of income.

The cattle hostels would give a fillip to milk production as well as help farmers who lost their agriculture lands under the projects to take up dairy units for sustainable livelihood in the R&R colonies, he said, and urged the State government to take appropriate measures to set up cattle hostels in R&R colonies.

Responding to the suggestion, Manakondur MLA Rasamayi Balakishan said he would take it forward by identifying government land for the cattle hostels. He said the government would provide all facilities for the farmers in the cattle hostels along with the land to grow fodder.

The farmers of the Ananthagiri village in Illanthakunta mandal were displaced following the execution of Ananthagirisagar project as part of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project to store around 3.75 tmcs of water under package-10. The oustees of the project were relocated to the R&R colonies.

Earlier, the villagers used to provide daily around 600 litres of milk to Karimnagar Dairy. As the farmers have tested the benefits of taking up dairy units with good and regular source income, they had reconstructed the Milk Producer Institute (MPI) of Karimnagar Dairy in the R&R colony with the compensation amount provided by the State government.

On Monday, Rajeshwara Rao along with Manakondur legislator Rasamayi Balakishan, ZP vice-chairman Siddam Venu, MPP Venkataramana Reddy, local sarpanch Narasimha Reddy, PACS chairman Annadi Anantha Reddy and others formally inaugurated the newly constructed MPI in the R&R colony.

The farmers have again taken up the dairy units and started providing milk to the Karimnagar dairy. Initially, they had started supplying daily 40 litres and now it had reached 150 litres per day and they were confident to reach 600 litres per day very soon with the majority of farmers taking up dairy units for an alternate source of income.

Rajeshwar Rao also explained the welfare schemes launched for the milk-producing farmers and the milking animals. He said that they had also introduced the Rythu bharosa scheme to provide insurance coverage to the milk producer. Karimnagar Dairy Agraharam branch manager Ravinder, supervisors Venkatram Reddy, Balaiah, Satish and Rajashekhar, Bulk milk cooling unit in-charge J Srinivas and others were also present.