Telangana launches sheep and goat insurance scheme in Karimnagar

The Telangana government launched its sheep and goat insurance scheme in Karimnagar on Saturday, with Animal Husbandry Minister Vakiti Srihari and Backward Classes Welfare and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar releasing a poster to mark the rollout.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Srihari said rearers would need to pay only ₹13 per animal a year towards the premium, with the State government bearing the rest of the cost. He said the administration was committed to the welfare of the shepherd community and encouraged rearers to raise the productivity of their sheep and goats so that their incomes would grow.

The Minister also said steps would be taken to waive loans taken by sheep rearers and to roll out further welfare measures in a transparent manner.

Mr. Prabhakar said about 3,200 members are currently enrolled in roughly 750 Golla Kuruma cooperative societies across the district. Responding to a request from society members for pensions from the age of 55, he said a proposal would be sent to the government.

He noted that the Cabinet had approved ₹5 lakh life insurance for each member under the Indiramma Bima scheme. The Minister also asked the Animal Husbandry Minister to help allot vacant government land for sheep rearing and proposed setting up a wholesale meat market in Karimnagar.

Earlier in the day, the two Ministers unveiled a statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar at the Karimnagar bus station premises and garlanded a statue of Chakali Ilamma on her birth anniversary.

They later took part in the “Mudiraj Simhagarjana” meeting in Sircilla and reviewed arrangements for Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s proposed visit to the town on September 30.