‘A-HELP’ programme

Why is in news? The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India launched the ‘A-HELP’ programme today at Jharkhand

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India launched the ‘A-HELP’ (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production) programme in the State of Jharkhand.

The 'A-HELP' program, which aims to empower women by engaging them as Accredited Agent who contribute significantly to disease control, animal tagging, and livestock insurance.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) is embarking on a novel initiative named as “A-HELP” (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production) and has already initiated across different States/UTs including Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) has launched the novel initiative through an MoU signed between DAHD and the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Govt. of India.

During the launch event, A-HELP Kits were distributed to Pashu Sakhis, and the event witnessed substantial participation, with more than 500 attendees, including progressive farmers and Pashu Sakhis.

This initiative signifies a significant step forward in promoting livestock health, extension services, and women's empowerment in the region, potentially leading to improved livestock productivity and rural development.

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It is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and the Ministry of Rural Development.

‘A-HELP’ are community-based women activists, who assist veterinarians in local departmental activities help livestock farmers to take loans for entrepreneurship development, fill out applications, mark the ear tagging of animals and register them in the INAF portal and help with insurance etc.

They assist in implementing various schemes and in providing information to the farmers at the grassroots level.

They will give vital contributions to preventing various infectious diseases of animals, artificial insemination under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), tagging animals and animal insurance.