Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the ‘Unified Genomic Chip’ – aimed at helping farmers identify high-quality cattle early and enhance dairy farming efficiency in India. The chip comes in two versions: the ‘Gau Chip’ for cattle and the ‘Mahish Chip’ for buffalo.
Developed by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), the purpose of this chip is to help the farmers to make informed decisions on animal selection by identifying young, high-quality bulls at an early age, the Centre said in a press release. The chip is tailored for Indian cattle breeds and will help improve the quality of cattle and enhance the dairy farming sector.
At the event, PM Modi also launched a new indigenous technology for producing sex-sorted semen, which is designed to enhance the availability of sex-sorted semen for farmers, making it easier for them to select desired animal breeds. The project is a push for the ‘Make in India’ initiative and will help the farmers reduce the cost by about Rs 200 per dose.
18th instalment of PM-Kisan launched
The launch of the scheme coincided with the release of the 18th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme by PM Modi. During an event in Washim, Maharashtra, PM Modi launched the scheme aimed at helping 94 million farmers across the country, the Centre said.
PM-Kisan facilitates direct financial benefits amounting to over Rs 20,000 crore for the farmers ‘without involvement of any middlemen’, the Centre mentioned. In the 17th instalment of the scheme, the 12 million farmers in Maharashtra benefitted by receiving Rs 32,000 crore from the scheme.
