Chief Minister Sri K.Chandrashekhar Rao has chaired a high level review meeting on fisheries, Sheep rearing and Dairy development in the State

Chief Minister Sri K Chandrashekhar Rao has instructed the officers concerned to formulate, on a war footing, a comprehensive plan for fisheries and sheep rearing. He wanted every tank in the Telangana should be brimming with fish and the State should become No 1 in Dairy and milk products. The Chief Minister wanted the restructuring of fish breeding centres and similarly, for the sheep rearing and supplying parallely in 30 districts of the State except in Hyderabad. In future, the state should be able to export fish and sheep to the other States.

The Chief Minister has chaired a high level review meeting on fisheries, Sheep rearing and Dairy development in the State at Pragathi Bhavan here on Saturday.  Special Chief Secretary (Animal Husbandry) Sri Suresh Chandra, Fisheries Commissioner Sri D Venkateswara Rao, Animal Husbandry Director Sri Venkateswarlu, officials from the CMO participated in the meeting. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the officials concerned should work with commitment and dedication to implement successfully programmes like the fisheries development, sheep rearing and Dairy development. To gain people’s confidence over the government, the Chief Minister said the programmes of the government should be implemented without being indifferent.  Successful implementation of these programme would eradicate poverty, the CM said.

In order to implement several development programmes in the fisheries, there is a need for the establishment of a Corporation or Federation. He said castes such as Boya and Kuruma are also dependent on fisheries like the Gangaputra and Mudiraj communities. The Chief Minister wanted detailed information on these communities.

He said that in the entire State, there are about three to four lakh Yadav families who are living on sheep rearing and the government is ready to support them. He wanted the officials concerned to identify suitable lands on Krishna and Godavari River Basin to set up Colleges for Fisheries. The CM said that there is a need to form Societies for the fish growers and Sheep rearers and members from other communities which are also dependent on fisheries and sheep rearing should be made members. These Societies should be formed above politics. Once the Societies number and number of fisherman is tabulated, the profits should be distributed equally. In each district, there different categories of water bodies and they all should be utilized for the fishing culture.

Officials from different levels from Fisheries Corporation or federation should be branched into various groups and work at the field level to monitor supply of fish seed, marketing, machines used for catching the fish and ensure the proper implement of the action plan. The Marketing Executives should tour the entire State and prepare a marketing plan to earn good profits. He wanted the officials to take an example from the Ankapur Village. He said fish marketing will be beneficial in places which are far from the sea coast. Identify such places where the fish consumption is more and prepare plan for marketing the fish in those areas, the CM said.

The CM said there will be more development in the growing and supply of fish in near future and the entire face of the fisheries in the state will change for the better. He said that at Kaleswaram, Palamuru Lift Irrigation Schemes and at several small, medium and major irrigation reservoir sites water is available in abundance throught the year. Such Reservoirs should be utlised for the development of fisheries.

Since the government has plans to fill up more than 46,000 Tanks in the State by getting water from irrigation projects, the Chief Minister said every Tank in the State should become a breeding place for the fish. Efforts will be on to bring in all Tanks under the Fisheries department, the CM said.

The Chief Minister also spoke about the Dairy Development with the officials concerned. He wanted them to prepare a comprehensive plan so that the daily need of milk in the State should be augment from the sources within the State but not imported Milk from other areas. The State should become self-sufficient in Dairy products, he said.

Stating that there are several open sites available for the animal Husbandry Department in the State, the CM said those vacant lands should be used for the marketing of the Sheep. Since there is going to be a major role to be played by the Animal Husbandry department, he wanted the officials to make steps for filling up of the vacancies. He wanted promotions in Fisheries and Animal Husbandry department to be implemented and the vacancies arisen out of it to be filled by the TSPSC. He wanted veterinary Doctors and medicines should be made available and to identify lands to set up Fish Seed Centres.

To instill confidence among the Sheep rearers and fish growers, the CM wanted the Telangana Cultural Council to make short films, songs, CDs to create awareness among the beneficiaries. He said he himself will meet the Shepherds and Fish growers during his Janahita Programme in Pragathi Bhavan in a phased manner. He also assured that he would hold meetings in every district with the concerned. The CM wanted the officials concerned to create confidence among the fishermen and sheep rearers that they would be able to lead a comfortable life through their profession.           

-Press note