Punjab Wants Lumpy Skin Disease To Be Included In National Animal Disease Control Programme

A group of ministers, formed to monitor and control the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) among cattle in the state, on Tuesday urged the Centre to include this deadly infection in the National Animal Disease Control Programme.

Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who is part of the GoM (Group of Ministers), asked animal husbandry minister Laljit Singh Bhullar to seek an early appointment from Union animal husbandry minister Parshottam Rupala to raise the issue of LSD's inclusion in the program.

In view of the prevalence of LSD in most of the northern states and the possibility of recurrence of this disease year after year, vaccination against this disease should be made free on the lines of diseases like foot and mouth and Brucellosis, he further said.

During the review meeting here, Cheema, along with agriculture minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and animal husbandry minister Bhullar were apprised that out of a total of 10.2 lakh doses of goat pox vaccine procured at a cost of over Rs 1.5 crore, around 9.10 lakh doses were administered to cattle so far, according to an official release.

Apart from this, Rs 1.32 crore has been disbursed for procuring other medicines and equipment for the prevention of the disease.

Replying to the query of Cheema, the officials said that cattle of more than 1.45 lakh livestock farmers have been treated free of cost so far and each cattle in all the 'gaushalas' (cow shelter) of the state have been vaccinated.

The GoM directed to ensure the vaccination of cattle kept in large numbers by various religious institutions, commercial dairy farmers, Gujjar communities, and other people in the second phase.

On the input of experts from Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana that the effect of goat pox vaccine lasts nearly one year, the ministers instructed that booster dose and next vaccination campaign shall be conducted in February next year.

Taking serious note of the expiry of 19,150 doses of the hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) vaccine in Pathankot, the ministers' panel directed the concerned department to issue show-cause notices to the erring officials. 

(Inputs from PTI)