TS govt’s flagship sheep distribution scheme has scripted scores of success stories and enabled many from the Golla and Kuruma communities to stand on their own two feet.
Hyderabad: Five years ago, farmer couple Kalkoda Chandrappa and Amruthamma from Bantwaram in Vikarabad district could barely ensure two square meals for their three children. Their cotton and maize crops in one acre hardly earned them enough to pay for their children’s education.
But today, Chandrappa’s story is different. His elder daughter works as an Agriculture Extension Officer, while the younger daughter is pursuing engineering. The couple’s only son is studying polytechnic. Ask Chandrappa, and he thanks Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s flagship sheep distribution programme, which he says is helping his family earn around Rs 9.6 lakh per annum. He also owns over 80 sheep.
Hailing from the Kuruma community, Chadrappa is one of the thousands of beneficiaries under the State government’s sheep distribution scheme. He was sanctioned a unit comprising 20 sheep and one ram, costing Rs 1.25 lakh per unit, in February, 2018. Along with the sheep, the government also delivered 206 kg of feed and medicines worth Rs 400 at his doorstep.
Under the guidance of the local veterinary department officials, Chandrappa and Amruthamma ensured 100 per cent survival of their sheep and in no time, the ewes gave birth to 44 lambs —24 females and 20 males. On selling 36 lambs, the family earned more than Rs 2.1 lakh in the first year. Chandrappa then purchased two more rams for sheep reproduction and currently, the flock comprises over 80 sheep. His annual income has nearly doubled to around Rs 9.6 lakh.
Chandrappa and Amruthamma succeeded in providing quality education to all three children without taking loan. “Thanks to the scheme, we are able to ensure quality education to all three children without taking any loan. We are thankful to the State government,” says Amruthamma.
Incidentally, this success story is not an isolated one as scores of families, such as that of B Bhulaxmi from Mudimanikyam village in Nalgonda district and M Srinivas Yadav from Seetharampalle in Mancherial district, all from the Golla and Kuruma communities, have benefited from the sheep distribution programme.
The Telangana government launched the sheep distribution scheme with the aim to strengthen the rural economy and ensure sustainable livelihood for shepherds. Under the first phase, each family was given 20 sheep with a unit cost of Rs 1.25 lakh on a 75 per cent subsidy. A total expenditure of Rs 4,980.31 crore was incurred for the implementation of the scheme. About 82.74 lakh sheep were procured from other States and distributed among 3.92 lakh members of the Primary Sheep Breeders Co-operative Societies (PSBCS).
Due to the efforts of the State government, the number of PSBCS has increased to 8,109 with around 7.61 lakh members from 3.92 lakh. The sheep population, too, has increased significantly from 1.28 crore to 1.91 crore in the State, according to the 20th Livestock Census conducted by the Central government in 2019. To date, 1.30 crore lambs were born and Rs 6,500 crore worth has been accrued out of these lambs.
Further, the State government’s flagship initiative has led to a massive increase in meat production — from 5.05 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 9.75 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, making Telangana the fifth largest meat producer in the country. The State is also the third-largest producer of wool in the country after Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. In 2019-20, 3.96 lakh kg of wool was produced in Telangana.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Telangana State Sheep and Goat Development Co-operative Federation chairman Doodimetla Balaraju Yadav says the scores of success stories of shepherds in the State have become fitting lessons to the opposition parties which have been making baseless allegations about the implementation of the scheme. The scheme, a brainchild of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, has become a tool for socio-economic empowerment of the Yadava community, he says.
“We have implemented the sheep distribution scheme successfully and the fruits of it are visible to all. The second phase of the scheme was launched with an expenditure of Rs 6,000 crore and the sheep units will be provided to all eligible persons under the scheme,” he says.
With the success of the first phase of the scheme, the State government launched the second phase of the distribution to benefit around 3.5 lakh eligible applicants. The sheep unit cost has also been increased from Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 1.75 lakh, considering the rising prices. The total financial outlay for the second phase is Rs 6,125 crore.
The government has also launched a pilot project aimed at transferring the 75 per cent subsidy amount directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries, enabling them to purchase the sheep themselves. Accordingly, about Rs 1.58 lakh each will be deposited into the bank accounts of 4,699 beneficiaries under the scheme in Nalgonda and Yadadri Bhongir districts within the next 15 days. If successfully implemented, the same will be extended to other parts of the State.