The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India and host State Odisha conducted a “Regional Training of 21^st Livestock Census on Software (Mobile & Web Application/ Dashboard) and Breeds for State and District Nodal Officers (SNO/DNO) of Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand”. The workshop was held today in Puri, Odisha to train the State/District Nodal Officers of these states on newly launched mobile and web applications for conducting 21^st Livestock Census which is scheduled during September-December 2024.

The workshop was inaugurated by Chief Guest Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India in the presence of Shri Gokulananda Mallik, Minister of State, F&ARD, Government of Odisha, Shri Sunil Kumar Mohanty, Member of Legislative Assembly, Puri, Shri Suresh Kumar Vashishtha, Principal Secretary, AH&VS, Government of Odisha, Dr. B P Mishra, Director, ICAR-NBAGR, Shri Jagat Hazarika, Advisor (Statistics), Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, and Shri Ramashis Hazra, Director, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Sciences, Odisha.

MoS Prof. S P Singh addressed the workshop and highlighted the need for comprehensive training and capacity building at the grassroots level. He while highlighting that Odisha and West Bengal has the highest number of livestock in India, underscored the importance of the livestock sector to India's economy and food security. He called for meticulous planning and execution of the census, stressing that the data gathered would play a crucial role in shaping future initiatives and addressing challenges in the  sector.

Smt. Alka Upadhyaya conveyed her best wishes and greetings for the 21^st Livestock Census virtually. She shared insights of the impact of Livestock Sector on the Indian Economy and the position of India in terms of global trade of livestock sector produce.

Shri Gokulananda Mallik emphasized the integration of sustainable practices within the livestock sector. He pointed out that the analysis and logical use of the data obtained after the livestock census will pave the way for formulating future departmental policies and implementing programs, as well as creating new schemes and generating employment in the field of animal husbandry for the benefit of livestock farmers.

In his address, Shri Suresh Kumar Vashishth equated the livestock as wealth and assets, commonly referred to as “pashudhan”. He also emphasized the recent renaming of his department to Animal Resource Development to reflect its significance

The workshop featured a series of sessions beginning with a brief description of the 21^st Livestock Census by the Animal Husbandry Statistics Division, followed by a detailed presentation from Shri B P Mishra and this team from ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) on the breed details of species to be covered in the census. The importance of accurate breed identification was emphasized, which is crucial for producing precise statistics used in various livestock sector programs and for the National Indicator Framework (NIF) of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The workshop included detailed sessions on the methodologies and live application of software of 21^st Livestock Census by Software team of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Govt. of India trained on the mobile application and dashboard software for State and District Nodal Officers. These Nodal officers shall conduct training for enumerators at their respective District Head Quarters.

 Sh. V.P. Singh, Director of the Animal Husbandry Statistics Division at the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying  expressed gratitude to all the dignitaries and stakeholders for their presence and concluded with a hopeful note that the census operation would be successful.