The Centre has decided to deploy National Level Monitors (NLM) to oversee the implementation of its livestock schemes including National Livestock Mission and Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, said, “A scheme for NLMs has been approved. The department has begun the process of empaneling the NLMs which will take between one and one and a-half months.”
Apart from the National Livestock Mission and Rashtriya Gokul Mission, the Department of Animal Husbandry also implements the National Programme for Dairy Development and Livestock Health and Disease Control programme. These programmes will also be monitored by the NLMs.
As per the appointment terms of reference for NLMs, two types of monitoring will be conducted by them — regular and special.
As per these terms, the objectives of this monitoring include ascertaining whether the programmes of the Ministry are implemented according to guidelines prescribed by the Ministry and if prescribed implementation processes are being followed. This monitoring will also determine villagers’ views on the programmes, consider their suggestions for improvement and whether the selection of beneficiaries under a programme has been transparent, unbiased and fair.
The terms of reference also stated that the monitoring will determine if incentives to paravets/technicians/ farmers have been distributed as envisaged under the scheme and whether data generated on vaccination, disease monitoring and artificial insemination has been uploaded on the National Digital Livestock Mission on a real time basis.
“In case of complaints of a serious nature from people’s representatives, farmers etc. regarding the misutilisation of funds, irregularities, etc., NLMs are proposed to be deputed to verify facts or for a preliminary enquiry with the approval of the Secretary,” stated the terms of reference.
At present, the department monitors the schemes’ implementation through “monthly, quarterly and yearly progress reports, management information system, regional review meetings and video conferencing session with participating states.”
The Centre’s focus on monitoring the implementation of its schemes in the Animal Husbandry and Dairying sector is significant given this sector’s rising contribution to the economy. The department has now decided to involve the NLMs to ensure its schemes’ monitoring is “unbiased and objective”.
The NLMs will be third-party independent monitors — individuals and institutions deployed by the government. Individual NLMs will be selected from among retired Civil/Defence Services Officers, and academia.
Earlier, the Ministry of Rural Development had deployed NLMs to monitor their schemes. Recently, the NLM teams flagged irregularities in the implementation of the NREGS and PMAY-G schemes across several states.
According to the DAHD, “The contribution of livestock sector in agriculture in terms of output, has increased from 24.32 per cent (2014-2015) to 30.87 per cent (2020-21). The Livestock sector has been growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 7.93 per cent (at constant prices) from 2014-15 to 2020-21…Value of output of livestock sector is Rs 14.49 lakh crore at current price during 2020-21 (as per National Account Statistics 2022). Value of output of milk is more than Rs 9.31 lakh crore which is the highest of the agriculture produce and even more than the combined value of Paddy and Wheat.”
Source: Indian Express
