Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 (PTI) Doorstep delivery of veterinary services to livestock farmers and animal owners is the idea behind a centralised call centre and the mobile veterinary units (MVUs) which were launched in Kerala on Thursday by Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAHD) Parshottam Rupala.

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Inaugurating the call centre and 29 MVUs here, the minister said these facilities would aid those farmers who are reluctant to take their livestock to veterinary hospitals for treatment and usually end up calling quacks for taking care of their animals.

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The newly launched MVUs would be manned by a qualified veterinarian and a paravet for providing specialised services to livestock farmers, he further said according to a government release.

The MVUs, acting as a one-stop centre, would provide solutions, like diagnosis, treatment, vaccination, artificial insemination, minor surgical intervention, to a variety of veterinary issues being faced by farmers and animal owners even in far flung areas, he said.

The MVUs would also disseminate information to the remotest areas of the country, the release said.

All farmers need to do is call on the number 1962 and the nearest MVU will be dispatched to their location after the call centre prioritises the cases on the basis of the nature of emergency, it said.

Kerala is deploying 50 MVUs in different districts and each of these vehicles are equipped with state of the art diagnostic tools, animal treatment and breeding accessories, audio visual aids and necessary medications, it said.

"In the current financial year, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), MoFAHD, Central government, has sanctioned 4,332 MVUs across the country," the release said. PTI

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)