Prof. J.P. Sharma, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu inaugurates the 2nd five days training programme on “Empowering (capacity building) of women through livestock farming” at Division of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension Education, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST- Jammu, R.S. Pura w.e.f. 4th -8th July 2022. This training programme is being sponsored by National Commission for Women (NCW), Govt. of India, New Delhi under their capacity building programmes.
Prof. Sharma as Chief Guest exhorted the participants to go through more practical and entrepreneurship oriented leanings from this training programme so that they can become self reliant and atmanirbhar by starting their own dairy based enterprises. He quoted many examples of successful and award winning lady entrepreneurs of India to motivate the trainees. He impressed upon the golden era of Govt. schemes for the benefits of the farming community. He talked about the need to form Milk Producer Organisations in the state so that producers can fetch remunerative prices, and at the same time consumer can get hygienic and fresh products at a reasonable price. He emphasized that value addition of raw agriculture produced at farmers’s level is the need of hour for improving the income and socio- economic status of farming communities. He also said that such type of training will boost the morale of farming community to take dairy farming as a source employment generation in a big way.
Prof. M. S. Bhadwal, Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, R.S. Pura congratulated the trainees (30 in numbers) for being selected for this training programme who have come from Rangpur and Mottey village of R.S. Pura block. He informed the trainees about the different theoretical and practical classes to be undertaken in five days. Prof. Bhadwal was of the view that dairy animals are an important source of income, food, and nutritional security; and their further improvements in the productivity through scientific management, will substantially improves the well-being of smallholder dairy farmers by enhanced income from dairy enterprises. He emphasized upon the trainees to learn the various aspects of dairy farming, vermicomposting, cow dung log making and value addition of milk in such a way that they could start their own enterprise. Prof. Pradeep Walli, Director Research, SKUAST- Jammu also spoke and motivated the trainees to learn more from such type of vocational training programmes.
At the outset, Dr. Pranav Kumar, Training Coordinator/ PI of NCW Project and Assistant Professor, Division of Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Extension Education welcomed the dignitaries and participants and gave brief introduction about the training programme. He said that dairying in India is a female dominated enterprise. It is established beyond doubt that women always participated in dairy and animal husbandry activities in addition to their daily household chores. Women play crucial and significant role in livestock rearing, but their contribution in livestock rearing has not been given the due place they deserve. They always remain invisible workers. Keeping above points in view National Commission for Women (NCW), Govt. of India, New Delhi has sanctioned twelve numbers of (5 days each) training programmes in the financial year 2022-23 exclusively for empowering rural women through trainings and capacity building in livestock farming. This programme was the first in series.
Dr. Sunil Kumar, Convenor cum Prof. & Head, Livestock Products Technology, Dr. Puneet Choudhary, Chief Scientist & Head, KVK, Jammu, Dr Prem Kumar, SMS Fisheries, KVK Jammu, Dr. Shard Kumar, Dr. A.K. Pathak, and Dr. Nazam Khan (training co-coordinators), media persons from print & electronic media and post graduate students of the division were also present in the inaugural session. Prof. Kamal Sarma, Convenor of training programme cum Head of Division, Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Extension Education extended vote of thanks, while proceedings of the programmed was coordinated by Dr. Ankur Sharma, training co-coordinator cum Assistant Professor, Division Veterinary Surgery and Radiology.
