Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said that veterinarians have a major role to play in realising the nation’s goal of doubling farmers’ income.
Addressing the fourth convocation of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) at the university headquarters at Pookode here on Saturday Mr. Khan said the goal could be materialised through the effective implementation of government programmes such as the National Livestock Mission (NLM).
He said gainful employment could be a priority for many youths who had completed professional courses. “However, employment is only a basic goal of education,” said Mr. Khan, adding that far above that goal stood social and cultural goals of emancipation, enlightenment, empowerment, empathy, the refining of character and the making of an ideal human being.
“A university degree, no doubt, is a valuable asset. However, to rightly serve society in a rapidly changing world, we need to become lifelong learners and fine-tune our knowledge with relevant intellectual skills,” he said.
The Rashtriya Gokul Mission, a project for the development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds and enhancement of milk production to make dairying more remunerative, was another area that required the active involvement of veterinarians, said Mr. Khan. “We are aware of the pivotal role played by the animal husbandry sector in the socio-economic development of the State, where about five lakh families are dependent solely on livestock for their livelihood,” he added.
More than 60% of livelihood enterprises set up by the Kudumbasree Mission are in the animal husbandry sector. It meant increasing participation of women, which needed to be encouraged through training programmes, the Governor added.
KVASU had an obligation to employ all its means to increase the production and productivity of livestock products in the State to support livelihood, employment, entrepreneurship and food security, said Mr. Khan.
Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister J. Chinchurani, ICAR Deputy Director General (Animal Science) Bhupendra Nath Tripathi, and KVASU Vice-Chancellor M.R. Saseendranath spoke. Mr. Khan presented gold medals to 19 meritorious students and endowment awards to 20 others. Graduate certificates were presented to 265 students, postgraduate certificates to 78 students, and doctorate certificates to 19 students.
