Port Blair, Aug. 29: The 21st Livestock Census is going to be carried out across the country from 1st September 2024 onwards and to be completed on 31st December, 2024. This exercise is done at every five-year interval to ascertain the number of livestock which will help in planning schemes and designing strategies for improvement of Livestock Sector and increasing its contributions to Gross Domestic Product of our country. The features of 21st Livestock census is that for the second time the entire operation is being done digitally. The enumeration work will be done through Electronic Gadget (Tablets/Smart Phones) which are loaded with software which is specifically designed and developed by NDLM wing of Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, New Delhi.
The objective of Livestock Census is to provide details on livestock population (domestic animals and poultry birds) along with their breed, sex, age and use for 16 species in rural and urban areas. The Livestock Census serves as a critical tool for gathering comprehensive data on the livestock population across India. Its objective are multifaceted aimed at facilitating proper planning, formulation, implementation and monitoring of programs meant to improve livestock sector. The key objectives of the Livestock Census are: Data Collection, Planning and Formulation, Identification of Trends in Livestock sector, Resource allocation and International reporting.
The Livestock Census will be conducted in all the districts of all States & UT across the country covering all households, non-households, enterprises and Institutions of rural as well as urban areas. The census will also be conducted in all Defence establishment, para-military forces and state police establishments. The sex-wise number of stray cattle will also be collected in 21st Livestock Census.
The Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, A&N Administration is the Nodal Agency for this UT, which covers 551 villages, spread over 3 Districts of this UT. Accordingly, 42 enumerators, 8 Supervisors and 5 Scrutiny Officers will work under the direction of State Nodal Officer to complete the work.
It is expected that the final submission would be done by January 2025. All livestock owners have been requested to cooperate with the designated livestock enumerators when they visit the household and provide accurate date as desired.