Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying unveils National Digital Livestock Mission Blueprint at NDDB

What is the news?

Union Minister of State Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying unveiled the National Digital Livestock Mission Blueprint at National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

What is the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM)?

NDLM is a digital platform developed jointly by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) and NDDB on the foundation of the existing Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH).

Aim of NDLM: The aim is to create a farmer-centric, technology-enabled ecosystem where the farmers are able to realize better income through livestock activities with the right information.

The bedrock of NDLM will be the unique identification of all livestock, which will be the foundation for all the state and national level programmes, including domestic and international trade.

How the NDLM will benefit farmers?

Through NDLM, the farmers will be able to effortlessly access the markets, irrespective of their location or holdings through this digital platform as a wide range of stakeholders will be connected in this ecosystem.

This system will also include robust animal breeding systems, nutrition, disease surveillance, disease control programmes and a traceability mechanism for animals and animal products.

Why does India need NDLM?

The livestock sector has a unique combination of being the backbone of rural livelihood. The growth would have been a lot better if there were concerted efforts to harmonise programmes across the country in order to create an ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of the sector.

This has been the main idea behind the deployment of NDLM, keeping the welfare of the farmer at the core.

What is National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)?

The NDDB is a statutory body and an institute of national importance, established by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1965. It was founded by Dr Verghese Kurien, often called ‘India’s milkman’.

The NDDB was created to boost, finance and support producer-owned and controlled organisations in the dairy industry. The NDDB is headquartered in Anand, Gujarat.

NDDB’s efforts transformed India’s rural economy by making dairying a viable and profitable economic activity for millions of milk producers while addressing the country’s need for self-sufficiency in milk production.

Source: This post is based on the article “Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying unveils National Digital Livestock Mission Blueprint at NDDB” published in ‘PIB’ on 07 October 2021.