Indigenous vaccine for lumpy skin disease ready, says Modi

New Delhi, September 12

India is working on universal vaccination of animals and a digital system to capture end-to-end activities of the livestock sector. Scientists have also prepared an indigenous vaccine for the lumpy skin disease (LSD) and by 2025, all animals will also be vaccinated against the foot-and-mouth disease and Brucellosis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today while speaking at the inauguration of the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit, 2022, in Greater Noida.

Modi said one of the major problems affecting the income of farmers was diseases of animals. “When an animal is sick, it hits the life of a farmer, affecting his income,” he said. On the loss of livestock in many states due to the LSD, he said the Centre, along with state governments, was trying its level best to keep a check on it.

The indigenous vaccine is called “Lumpi-ProVacInd” and has been developed by two institutes of agri research body ICAR. Its commercial launch is expected in next three-four months.

Addressing the summit, also being attended by a large number of foreign delegates, he said the disease of livestock was a major threat as it affected the farmers and their income.

Since the disease in cattle also impacted milk production and its quality, the government was focusing on universal vaccination of livestock. “We are committed to 100 per cent vaccination of livestock by 2025 for foot and mouth disease,” he said. He further said India was building the largest database of dairy animals and every animal associated with the dairy sector was being tagged. “We are doing biometric identification of animals. We have named it ‘Pashu Aadhaar’,” he said.

He said additional income for the farmers, empowerment of the poor, cleanliness, chemical-free farming, clean energy and cattle care were interlinked in this ecosystem. Animal husbandry was being promoted as a powerful medium of sustainable growth, he said.