Warangal: Mobile veterinary hospitals would soon be launched to offer emergency medical services to the cattle on the lines of 104 and 108 emergency services, said Agriculture Minister P Srinivas Reddy, here on Friday. Speaking at Rythu Sadassu (farmers’ convention) held at Mamnoor, Srinivas Reddy said an integrated administrative complex at a cost of Rs 5 crore would be set up in the district headquarters to give a boost to Animal Husbandry Department.  
 
He further said a proposal to release Rs 22 crore to help farmers, who suffered loss due to unseasonal rains last year, were sent to the government and the funds were expected to be released soon. The Minister urged the farmers to adopt modern techniques in agriculture and allied fields to get better yields. He suggested reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and use organic fertilisers to protect soil health.
 
Deputy Chief Minister K Srihari appealed to the Minister to focus on renovating the veterinary hospitals, which were constructed 30 to 40 years ago and were in dilapidated condition. The officials should give priority to women while designing the schemes, he added. Earlier in the day, Srinivas Reddy inaugurated a newly-built Training and Extension Centre in Warangal.

He appealed to the women to come forward to take up rearing of milch animals for which the banks were offering loans. A target was set to offer interest-free loans to 10,000 members of Mahila Sanghams in the district along with two milch animals. Similarly sheep would be supplied on 50 per cent subsidy along with a loan of Rs 30,000, the Minister added.
 
In the coming next three years as many as 57 lakh farmers would be given soil health cards to help them take up crops suitable for their land. As many as 200 fishermen were sent to Jharkhand on a study tour. Fishermen would be encouraged to raise fish in 78 reservoirs by using cage culture, he said.

Tribal Welfare Minister A Chandulal, MP, A Seetaram Naik, MLAs D Vinay Bhasker and A Ramesh, Agriculture Principal Secretary S P Singh, Animal Husbandry Director D Venkateshwarlu, Joint Director S Venkaiah Naidu and others were present.

• To function on the lines of 104 and 108 emergency services
• Govt targets to offer interest-free loans to 10,000 members of DWCRA groups for rearing milch animals
• Minister urged to take up renovation of old hospitals across  the state