Modernise Veterinary Hospitals To Support Dairy Farmers: Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy
The buildings, she said, were in a dilapidated condition and posed a risk of collapse.
Nellore: Kovur MLA Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy on Tuesday urged the state government to modernise veterinary hospitals and strengthen dairy infrastructure to safeguard the interests of small and marginal farmers.
Raising the issue in the Legislative Assembly, she said agriculture and dairying were “like two eyes of the rural economy”, with the dairy sector providing steady daily income to lakhs of farming families. She noted that after agriculture, dairying remains the most dependable source of livelihood in rural areas.
Referring to initiatives in her constituency, she said that after the coalition government assumed office, 235 cattle sheds were sanctioned in Kovur, of which 150 have been completed and 81 are under construction.
However, she expressed serious concern over the poor condition of veterinary hospitals in Kodavalur, Chowkicherla, Minagallu and Mypadu villages. The buildings, she said, were in a dilapidated condition and posed a risk of collapse. During the rainy season, water leakage damages medicines, records and equipment, while doctors and staff are forced to work under unsafe conditions.
She pointed out that several veterinary centres lack basic infrastructure and adequate staff, compelling farmers to depend on private practitioners. In emergency cases, shifting cattle to Nellore often results in loss of livestock, she said.
Noting that many small farmers depend on a single cow or buffalo for their livelihood, Ms Prashanthi Reddy appealed to the government to immediately sanction funds for new veterinary hospital buildings, provide modern medical equipment, recruit veterinary doctors and support staff, and establish a 24-hour emergency mobile veterinary unit in the Kovur constituency.