The government has embarked on an ambitious programme to give a 12-digit unique identification number to 88 million cows and buffaloes in the country. According to a report, one lakh trained technicians have been sent to every nook and cranny to affix a tag inside an ear of each such animal. The polyurethane tag is tamperproof, cannot be opened by a wrench and is designed to last for years. It weighs just eight grams and causes no trouble to the animal. Once the tag is in place, the owner will be given an “animal health card” giving all its details as also the owner’s.
The government claims that it will help in better breeding, increasing milk production and doubling the owner’s income by 2022. No other country, including Switzerland and Australia, which have vast cattle wealth, has such an animal identification system.
Nearly one lakh technicians have started to fan out across the country since New Year’s Day, armed with 50,000 tablets and a single mission — to affix a tag with a 12-digit unique identification number inside an ear of each of the staggering 88 million cows and buffaloes within this year. The purpose, as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, is to tag and track cattle so that they are vaccinated on time and scientific intervention is made available for better breeding and increasing milk production, doubling income of dairy farmers in the process by 2022.
The technicians have been trained to affix a polyurethane tag inside the ears of the cattle with a tag applicator. The tag is tamper-proof, cannot be opened by a wrench and is designed to last for years, official said.
