Vadodara: Higher funding for animal husbandry, tax relief for dairy cooperatives, a major push for rural entrepreneurship, expansion of veterinary infrastructure, and incentives for sustainable Bio-CNG projects are set to directly boost farmers’ incomes and employment, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) chairman Dr Meenesh Shah said on Sunday while welcoming the Union Budget.Calling the budget “transformative”, Shah said the animal husbandry sector received an allocation of Rs 6,153.46 crore, a 16% increase over last year, reinforcing its role as a key driver of rural livelihoods and agricultural growth.He highlighted the Rs 500 crore Integrated Scheme for Entrepreneurship Development, which will support modern livestock enterprises through credit-linked subsidies, build integrated dairy and poultry value chains, and promote Livestock Farmer Producer Organisations, creating jobs in rural areas.The budget also proposes the addition of 20,000 veterinary professionals and the provision of loan-linked subsidies for new veterinary and para-veterinary colleges, hospitals, laboratories, and breeding facilities, targeting India’s livestock population of 53 crore, including 30 crore dairy animals.Shah welcomed the extension of full tax-deduction benefits to primary cooperatives supplying cattle feed, in addition to milk and other produce. With cooperatives selling about 102 lakh metric tonnes of cattle feed annually, the move will reduce the tax burden and improve farmer payouts.He also cited tax relief on inter-cooperative dividends and a three-year dividend income exemption for notified national cooperative federations as steps that will strengthen investments under Sahkar se Samriddhi.On sustainability, he said the exclusion of biogas value from excise duty on biogas-blended CNG will accelerate Bio-CNG projects by converting dairy waste into clean fuel and organic fertiliser.
