Livestock census plays a pivotal role in ensuring agricultural development in India. Elaborate (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
· Livestock census is a quinquennial complete enumeration process whereby data on number of livestock along with their sex composition, age distribution, utility wise distribution etc. are generated across all states and UTs.
· Livestock census actually covers the census of livestock, poultry, implements and machinery used for livestock rearing.
· It is the only source for providing various kind of detailed information for these groups. India has largest livestock numbers in the world. Sound and timely available database are the basic requirement for any planning and policymaking purposes.
· The conduct of livestock census is thus essential for making plans and policies for growth of livestock sector and also for overall growth of the economy.
· The total numbers of animals in each of the identified species are very important determinant factor in the growth of livestock sector.
· Other supporting and supplementary data on the owners of livestock are also being collected and compiled. These include information on occupation, income, landholding, education etc. to support holistic planning.
· Livestock is not only an integral part of the agriculture economy supporting the rural livelihood but also a rudimentary element of our socio-cultural milieu.
· Our cultural heritage endows great importance to owning and rearing livestock as an inseparable part of an inclusive universe. Accurate, reliable data therefore becomes crucial for planning and development of the sector and counting sheep or any other animal becomes the foundation for a peaceful growth.
· To streamline the process and eliminate error, the ongoing 20th Livestock Census is harnessing the technological innovations of the digital age. The current Livestock Census heavily leverages information technology to create a high-quality database. There is complete elimination of paper, which has been replaced with tablet computers.
