Lenders are offering term loans to livestock owners in drought-affected Gujarat
ATMADIP RAY & SUTANUKA GHOSAL KOLKATA

Aimed at achieving 15 per cent growth in milk production in the district, the Department of Animal Husbandry has formulated a `71 lakh initiative for setting up dairy farms and milk shed development projects.

A Rs 27.03 lakh project has also been formulated to promote fodder crop cultivation, said Dairy Development Board deputy director V Unni. Financial assistance will be provided to those who are ready to set up farm units

With 100-car convoy, BSY team scurries through villages, spends 2 hrs at party meet

Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s tour to drought-hit Nanjanagud taluk on Thursday turned out to be a show of strength. More than 30,000 party workers, who had come in 200 buses and 100 cars, formed a human wall, depriving impoverished residents of the drought-hit regions even a glimpse of the BJP leaders. Yeddyurappa and his team completed their visit to the villages within half an hour and spent more than two hours at the party workers’ convention, held lavishly at Chikkamballi.

Centre mulling alternative crops

The Union Government is looking at the possibility of replacing rice crop in Punjab and Haryana with alternative crops such as pulses, fodder and oilseeds that help in nitrogen fixation. The water-intensive rice cultivation over the years has become unsustainable in these two States and the water table has fallen to precarious levels.

With the monsoon not showing any signs of improvement, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday declared 123 talukas in the State as drought-hit.

The decision was taken here during a meeting of the Cabinet. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, especially focused on the setting up of fodder camps in the affected villages. Officials said the State Relief and Rehabilitation Department identified the drought-hit areas according to norms stipulated in the Drought Prone Areas Programme.

Farmers To Get Seeds, Fertilizers Worth . 1500 Free

Gandhinagar:As a sop to farmers hit by water scarcity across the state, the Gujarat government has implemented a new scheme to encourage cultivation of fodder. Under the scheme, the government is providing fodder seeds and fertilizers up to Rs 1,500 free of cost. Officials told TOI that the scheme is being extended to farmers who plan to plant fodder crops on their land covering an area half an acre to two acres.