Key Notes on National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM)
The Livestock sector has a unique combination of being the backbone of the rural livelihood while also showing consistent growth and export potential. Over 60% of rural households have livestock as part of their economic activity and livelihood. Livestock is a source of reliable income and a source of upward economic mobility for the poorest, while also being a net exporter and has shown a steady 6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the past five years. However, we have not yet fully tapped into the potential of all aspects of the livestock sector to lift millions of farmers’ livelihood across the whole country. Various national and state programmes operate largely in silos. There is limited participation of the private sector and the ability of the farmers to access the markets. Limited animal identification among other reasons has resulted in less than 4% of animals being covered through insurance. Farmers often do not have adequate knowledge or empowerment to seek services from the government or take advantage of the market. As a result, our ability to improve the productivity of the animals, control diseases that affect both the farmers and the people and ensure quality products that supply to both the domestic and export markets has been limited. To address these issues comprehensively, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying along with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) is undertaking this ambitious, overarching programme as a National Mission to build enabling framework and incentive systems for making a step change in the sector.
The Vision of the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM) is To create a farmer-centric, technology-enabled ecosystem where the farmers are able to realize better income through livestock activities with the right information and enabling infrastructure to obtain timely, high quality services and access to markets as a result of well-functioning, connected systems that optimize for sustainable economic opportunities and health of both the animals and the people.
Goals of National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM)
To create a ‘farmer-centric system’ where modern information infrastructure and applications enable farmers to seamlessly access services and information through an intentionally designed national digital architecture . Build a mechanism for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) programmes .Enable improved participation of the private sector so that both the farmer and market can seamlessly access each other regardless of the location or size of the farmer’s holdings resulting in a ‘connected livestock market for India’ . Create robust closed-loop breeding systems, disease surveillance/control programmes and traceability programmes for the livestock sector . Promote linkage between the R&D systems to the field so that best quality science is informing the implementation without delay by improving the functioning of various national and state programmes in service of the farmers .Better alignment between various national and state programmes, and build an architecture that enables States to create and manage their own programmes.
National Digital Livestock Mission-Blueprint-Draft (002)
