ICT-AN OMNI-NEEDED KAMDHENU FOR MULTIFARIOUS MANAGEMENT AND THE NEW SOCIETY SAVIOUR IN COVID-19

BY-Komal chandraker¹, Alok kumar pandey² and Nandani Kumari

The global corona virus pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis. The rapid spread of the virus has forced many countries including India to keep their citizens indoor to contain the deadly disease. Lockdown was declared across the countries to arrest the spread of the virus. At this hour of crisis, the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) solutions have been successful in creating a sustainable ecosystem to enable seamless assistance. The internet and cellular broadcasting services ensured the government in not missing out the “golden time” during the outbreak of this virus. Mobile phone services were extensively used to support early testing and contact tracing. Advanced ICTs were used to spread awareness there by helping to maintain social distancing. The government provided free smartphone applications were used to flag infection hotspots. For example the Government of India has facilitated Arogya Setu- a mobile app aimed to connect health services and citizens thereby accessing the Corona virus infection. . ICT enabled video conferences has ensured smart working and social distancing. Work from home facilities have become new normal for employees after the lock down. Dissemination of real time data, thereby effectively reducing confusion and inconvenience at community and local level through ICT enabled web services and mobile applications. COVID-19 diagnostic kits are developed by biotech companies using ICT, such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and high-performance computing. Countries like South Korea relied on ICT to successfully flatten the curve on COVID-19.

ICT in veterinary extension services.

Veterinarians are indispensible part of the global health community. Apart from all the activities related to the health and welfare of animals, they have a key role to play in disease prevention, consultation, e-learning, employment generation, awareness creation and distress mitigation. ICT acts as an enabler in order to achieve the objectives. Veterinary Extension Services play an integral role at the frontline in dispensing the duties on the ground level. They remain most accessible and have clear knowledge about their clients (mostly the rural farmers and livestock owners). Extension Service professionals (ESPs) are well trained to provide innovative and tailor made solutions for their clients. They act as a medium of information disseminator from lab to land. At this hour of crisis high impact results could be realised by empowering our farmers and livestock owners.

India has managed well in checking the spread of the virus into the rural areas. But the fear of rural household contamination by novel corona virus still lingers. Rural India is mostly non-tech savvy. As a precautionary approach it becomes very essential for the administration to enhance basic technology capacity building among the rural population in order to reduce communication gap. ESPs could help in planning, directing and coordinating at local and regional levels in implementing various precautionary and mitigatory measures owing to their high penetration and accessible nature.

The crisis in post-corona days is going to be crucial for the poor people. The livestock sector can provide the employment oppurtunities to the migrant labourers who are coming to their home districts from their place of employment in the major cities. The farmers or labourers who are willing to take animal husbandry as their as their source of livelihood, they can utilize different websites and mobile apps to gain information and insight about livelihood sector. Some important websites and mobile apps are presented in the table 1 and table 2 below-

Table no.-1. Important websites related to livestock sector

Table no. 2. Mobile apps for livestock sector

Relevance of ICT in veterinary marketing services.

The increased relevance of ICT has been realised not only in tertiary and quaternary services but also in primary and secondary services. With the advent of corona virus pandemic, the economic sector has suffered the most. The informal and unorganised class are the hardest hit. In this period of lockdown, ICT enabled forums brought seller-buyer together and helped livestock owners and farmers to earn income. For example e-Pashuhaat portal is one stop portal for cattle breeders, sellers and buyers. The administration is facilitating e-passes to the livestock owners to carry out their business across this movement restriction and Messaging and internet platforms like Whatsapp, Telegram and YouTube have provided live-stock owners and ^{e-pashuhaat website-an image}

farmers a democratic platform where they are not only venting out their frustrations but also putting forward their problem faced. ESPs and veterinary experts are using the same platform to address the problems and convey success stories among the livestock owners and farmer community. ESPs are encouraging the farmers to compensate the loss incurred in agricultural produces by complimenting livestock resources efficiently and wisely. Full time milk distributors through you-tube and telegram are now taught methods to derive dairy products like Paneer, Khawa, Ghee, Powder milk and etc. Poultry and pig farmers are can be facilitated through ICT mediums to collaborate with small and medium size enterprises to install cold chains. As a result livestock products can be preserved with an increased shelf life and minimise losses.

In a recent survey, the World Health Organisation estimated that COVID- 19 outbreak can push approximately 548 million people below the poverty line. There is a need for “innovate from within” solutions to spin this despairing problem into a promising opportunity. ICT enabled platforms could be used to provide know-hows for marginal farmers and livestock owners to effectively, efficiently and economically utilize the resources to get a steady income. This shall not only check marginal farmers and livestock owners from falling into below poverty line, but also generate employment and boost the economy.

Role of ICT in veterinary education:-

Schools, colleges, research facilities and informal gatherings have come to a halt with the outbreak of the virus. Movement restrictions have severely hampered both formal and informal education. ICT has played a great role in imparting e-education, e-learning, seamless dissemination of information. Veterinarians and ESPs are using ICT enabled platforms like You-tube, Facebook, Telegram, Zoom app and other mobile applications to undertake capacity

^{Image of Video conferencing}

building, conducting webinars and online training, creating awareness, teaching the marginal livestock owners. Research and survey works are seamlessly undertaken by mobile phones, short messaging services, telephones. Veterinary researchers, graduate, post graduate, doctorate students are relying on mobile phones and internet services to gather data and supplement for research works. Amid such chaos ICT has helped in providing unhindered pathway for learning and continuing research works.

ICT IN EXTENSION EDUCATION

All the innovations are a waste until they are accessible, usable , cost effective and userfriendly. So is the relevance and importance of extension education in veterinary science but due to paucity of extension workers in the country only 5% of information reaches to the farmers. The traditional extension methods cannot reach the millions of livestock farmers therefore ICT can be a better option. Some sectors are more deprived from information on newer technology. Taking as example, even though rural women hardly participate in informal educative gatherings like Kisan Mela while they are the ones who remain most engaged in livestock management. Using internet services and other online platforms, they could be trained to efficiently and economically manage the livestock farms. There remains a potential where this communication gap could be bridged.

Amid the uncertainties, ICT is relied upon to demystify rumours that hurt the business of marginal and small livestock owners. For example- with news of corona outbreak many poultry owners killed their existing stocks pertaining to the prevailing rumours in various parts of the country. Television, radios and internet services were used by ESPs to demystify the rumours. ICT platforms are regularly used locally and regionally nullify distress and motivate the livestock owners in these unsettled periods. Matchmaking between labour demand and supply are facilitated and harmonious environment is ensured. So needless to say that ICT is the backbone of any education and

TABLE 3. ICT TOOLS , PROJECTS AND METHODS

Role of ICT in veterinary health services:-

In India the veterinarians have the prime responsibility to ensure only the products from healthy animals and their by-products enter the food supply. As part of the precautionary approach they have added responsibility in keeping their animal owners, clients and personnel informed regarding the appropriate levels of biosecurity and necessary equipment while handling livestock products.

With increased movement restrictions, there has been an interruption in delivery and use of vaccines and medicines. There are chances of outbreaks of diseases transmissible to human. To curb it again, we have the ICT dispensing its role by providing counselling, guidance, treatment to the needy by various mass media, electronic and digital media. Medical professionals are imparting advice online. Portals like esanjeevaniopd.in, an effort by Govt. of India have been metioculously designed for the benefit of masses. There are livestock treatment and welfare portals and Veterinarians are conducting webinars on online platforms to create awareness and provide guidance to the livestock owners.

In the same way there are different whats app group running by veterinarians to solve queries of farmers , practitioners, students . For example Dr. Rajesh singh (Veterinary surgeon, Jharkhand Government) is running several whats app groups like animal welfare, grass to milk, grass to meat, traditional vet, animal welfare. Pashudhan aarogya and so-on for the welfare of veterinarians, students and the livestock farmers. He also has online livestock journal pashudhan praharee to his credit. Similarly, Dr. Ravindra Kumar,Assistant Professor of Ranchi Veterinary College is running a whatsapp group named Jharkhand Pig Farm Association where he is solving queries related to diseases affecting Pig.

ICT IN VETERINARY DISEASE AND HEALTH SURVEILLANCE ( source- nivedi.res.in)-

National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (NIVEDI) is the only institute catering to the needs of surveillance and monitoring of livestock diseases and thereby caring for the country’s animal health. Livestock population and disease profiles available in the databank are the cynosure of the institute. Different units of NIVEDI are working towards designing of various forecasting and forewarning modules in order to predict the livestock disease outbreaks. Spatial epidemiology, temporal epidemiology and molecular epidemiology of various livestock diseases are routinely studied which are of utmost importance in formulating the disease control strategies. The institute has also developed spreadsheet modules for economic impact analysis of various diseases causing abortions in livestock. Early warning activities , mainly based on disease surveillance, reporting and epidemiological analysis are supported by the Geographical information system that enable integration, analysis and sharing of animal health data combined with relevant layers of information such as livestock population, Landuse/cover, Metrological data, Remote Sensing data etc.

CONCLUSION–

The world has seen many countries fight against each other. But this time every country is fighting against an invisible micro-pathogen. A country’s victory against this common enemy shall be a measure of the collective efforts of its citizens and the extent of capacity building. Every problem brings a new opportunity with it. Staying optimistic and using this opportunity as a window to expand digitisation, initiate a responsible behavioural change and introduce inclusiveness could be a fair way forward. “Sanghamoolam Mahabalam”– Organised, unified effort is the basis of great strength is the mantra that could be adhered. Undoubtedly the spread of Corona virus has wrecked the equilibrium across the globe. However, every problem is an opportunity in disguise. The veterinary fraternity could use this as a window to expand the coverage of digitisation in rural communities of India to empower farmers and animal owners to manufacture livestock products for trading globally to initiate inclusiveness of women entrepreneurs in livestock sector and to bring about a responsible behavioural change across the spectrum. All these can be possible solely with more reliance and incorporation of ICT in almost every sector. The gap or the distance created by social distancing can be bridged by ICT. An important lesson learnt during this lockdown is that future of every sector depends heavily on the ict tools. So much is the relevance of ict in the present and uncertain future that now ict literacy is not dependent on education or literacy rather the reverse is true because education at all the levels are being continued on online basis using various ict tools. Similar is the situation with almost every sector where the virtual world has gained an important place in the life of real human. And the real human in turn needs to sync with the virtual technology to survive.

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