The subsidised sheep distribution scheme for eligible Golla-Kuruma beneficiaries, launched by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in 2017, has turned Telangana to a meat exporting State, Minister for Animal Husbandry Talasani Srinivas Yadav said on Saturday.
“Not only is the population of sheep in Telangana, as per Livestock Census, ranked first in the country, but the scheme has also made many people dependent on this caste-based occupation successful businesspersons,” he said.
Mr. Srinivas Yadav was in Nalgonda on Saturday to re-launch the distribution of pending sheep units from phase-I. He said that there were 28,335 beneficiaries in the State, who had paid their contribution and were awaiting sheep distribution.
The Minister reiterated that the scheme was started with an initial outlay of ₹5,000 crore to benefit 7,31,572 beneficiaries of the Golla-Kuruma community. And as part of the scheme, each sheep unit given on 75% subsidy include 20 sheep and a ram.
According to Mr. Srinivas Yadav, since the start of the scheme, the population of sheep in the State has increased by 1.37 crore, and their estimated worth was ₹6,169 crore. He also stressed that Livestock Census, conducted in 2019, had declared that Telangana was among the first in sheep development programme.
Along with Energy Minister G. Jagadish Reddy and Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy, he asserted that several sections in Telangana were leading a happy life as their respective caste-based occupations assumed new life and vigour, and the credit goes to the CM.
Rajya Sabha member B. Lingaiah Yadav, Secretary of Animal Husbandry Department Anita Rajendra, District Collector Prashant J. Patil, local legislators and leaders, and representatives of Yadava associations were present.