Pashu Aushadhi Initiative:
The government will open “Pashu Aushadhi” stores across the country to provide affordable generic veterinary medicines to people engaged in animal husbandry and dairying.
- It has been conceptualised on the lines of the existing Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK), which provide “quality generic medicines at affordable prices” to people to “bring down the healthcare budget of every citizen of India”.
- The Pashu Aushadhi initiative is part of the revised Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP), which was approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister.
- The Pashu Aushadhi stores will be run by cooperative societies and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PMKSK).
- The Pashu Aushadhi Kendras will also sell ethnoveterinary medicines, based on traditional beliefs and indigenous knowledge and practices, to treat animal diseases.
- It has been allocated ₹75 crore to ensure the availability of high-quality, affordable generic veterinary medicines.
- These medicines will be distributed through PM-Kisan Samriddhi Kendras and cooperative societies, making essential animal healthcare more accessible to farmers.
