Punjab Rural Veterinary Officers Boycott of Animal Fairs

By 1 2 1 News Reporter

Chandigarh 04^th November: ----- The Rural Veterinary Officers ' Association (RVOA), Punjab has decided to boycott work in all state level Animal Fairs organized in the state. This decision comes close on the heels of the Association boycotting Artificial Insemination (AI) work based on straws supplied by the Animal Husbandry department and non-reporting to officials in the Department. The rural vets had to resort to this as they were fed up with the attitude of Animal Husbandry department which was getting them to do a lot of work for the department's projects and not passing any financial grants for upkeep of vet hospitals under Zila Parishads. The decision of boycotting Animal Fairs was announced in a statement released from Chandigarh by the President of RVOA. According to Dr N S Khinda, President, RVOA, "We have been demanding a separate directorate Rural Development and Panchayats department, independent of the Animal Husbandry department, under the Rural Development Ministry for governing 400 Rural Vets working in 582 Civil Veterinary Hospitals in Rural Punjab. No meeting or action had been taken in this regard and perforce we had to resort to boycott of the fairs." Adds Dr Khinda," The Animal Fairs are being organised by Animal Husbandry Department by using finances of Rural Development Ministry although the department has the required number of veterinary doctors who can handle the work." He further blamed the Rural Development Ministry for playing into the hands of Animal Husbandry department by providing it with the required finances.

 

The boycott of work by Rural Vets in all major Animal Fairs across Punjab will be big setback to the smooth conduct of such fairs. The Rural vets had been made regular under the Rural development Ministry on May 1, 2011 but no separate directorate was made to safeguard interests of this large segment of Rural Veterinary Officers. It is noteworthy that in 2006 the Civil Vet hospitals had been put under the Zila Parishads from Animal Husbandry department. However, the condition of these hospitals remains poor with lack of even minimal infrastructure. The Rural Veterinary doctors too are facing issues like no channel for  promotions, delayed salaries, non commencement of service book, ACRs, CPF/PRAN accounts etc, all this is due to lack of a separate directorate in Rural Development and Panchayats department independent of the Animal Husbandry department.