The phenomenal success of ‘Arogya Kavacha’, a round-the-clock emergency ambulance service for the poor in the state launched two years ago, has prompted Karnataka to come out with a similar service for the cattle population. The state is readying a pilot project under the public-private partnership (PPP) model to launch a 24-hour on-call emergency medical service for the cattle population across every nook and cranny of the state.
“Presently, a large number of remote villages in the state lack primary veterinary clinics and many farmers are losing their cattle due to untreated diseases. We want to give them emergency medical service on call 24 hours. Our aim is to help farmers preserve and increase the cattle population,” Revu Naik Belamagi, minister for animal husbandry, government of Karnataka, said.
The unique feature of the project is that the ambulance will consist of both four-wheelers and two-wheelers in some remote villages. Each ambulance will have a veterinary doctor and a technical assistant with a kit bag of emergency medicines.
To begin with, 50 such ambulances will be launched in the select 25 taluks each in northern and southern Karnataka. The department is likely to float tenders next week for selection of a private agency for the purpose, Belamagi told Business Standard.
Presently, the Karnataka Milk Federation and BAIF Institute for Rural Development are some of the agencies that have expertise in this area.
