Hema Kumari of village Dugrai chose the path of self-employment

The state government’s Him poultry scheme is becoming an important tool for self-employment in rural areas. Not only are they becoming financially independent, Apitu is also able to meet protein-rich nutritional dietary needs.

State government has launched the Him chicken farming along with animal husbandry to increase the income of rural people. Under the scheme, 60% of the total investment on poultry farming is granted by the government and only 40% spent by the farmers.

Under this scheme, the first beneficiary farmer is trained in government poultry farm for about 15 days to one month. After that, the beneficiary farmer is given 3000 chicken chicks. These chicks are made available in three installments of thousand each.

Hema Devi, a resident of Dugrai village of Gohar sub-division, has chosen the path of self-reliance under this scheme. She says due to limited opportunities in rural areas, she is also working related to animal husbandry and farming like others. In the year 2022-23 under the direction of Animal Husbandry Department, they undergo 15 days training on poultry farm in Sundarnagar. In addition to this, they applied for the poultry breeding plan based on the criteria set by the department. She said in July, 2024 they were given one thousand chicken chicks as the first installment of three thousand chicks by the department.

The beneficiary farmers were provided 60 feed bags for one thousand chicken chickpeas additional chickpeas, 30 feeders for food storage and 30 drinkers for water storage. On deposit of 81 thousand rupees in second and third installment, the beneficiaries will be provided by the department with one thousand chicken chicks and 60 feed bags per installment.

Hema Kumari says that when the demand for chicken in the market is high, they get good prices and earn estimated profits of Rs 50 thousand to Rs one lakh on one thousand chickens. She says the government is also providing him a lakh 60 thousand rupees subsidy for the hen shed.

She expressed gratitude to the government for the facilities provided under this profitable scheme. At the same time, local villagers are also urged to take advantage of these welfare schemes being run to make farmers self-sufficient and self-reliant.

Veterinary Officer Gohar Dr. Navneet Chandel says that farmers are being benefited in the subdivision under the Him Poultry Scheme whose primary business is agriculture and animal husbandry. This has provided farmers better sources of additional income as well as farming.