Fodder Development Scheme For Gram Panchayat, Gaushala And Panjarpol Having Gauchar Land

What is the fodder development scheme for gauchar land?

Fodder Development Scheme For Gram Panchayat, Gaushala And Panjarpol Having Gauchar Land is a scheme of the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat, implemented through the Gauseva and Gauchar Vikas Board. It funds the restoration of village pasture land, gauchar, so that green fodder is grown where degraded, weed-covered common land now stands.

According to the department, developing fodder and pasture on gauchar solves the fodder scarcity problem and develops the gauchar at the same time. The stated outcomes are direct: the fertility of the pasture land increases, green fodder production rises gradually, erosion of the gauchar area is prevented, milk production and cattle health improve as green fodder becomes available, the village environment improves, and rural employment is created during the work.

The works funded are specific: removal of acacia and weeds, ploughing, sowing of fodder seed, and wire fencing around the land being reformed.

Assistance at a glance

• 75% of the per-hectare expenditure.
• Ceiling of Rs 75,000 per hectare.
• Maximum area of 20 hectares.
• Maximum total assistance of Rs 15,00,000.
• Available only once to a beneficiary body.

Who is eligible for the gauchar fodder development assistance?

These bodies can apply:

• Village panchayats that have land classified as gauchar.
• Gaushalas holding gauchar land, registered under the Public Charity Act.
• Panjrapoles holding gauchar land, registered under the Public Charity Act.

These cannot apply, or are not eligible:

• Individual farmers, private landowners and cattle keepers. This is an institutional scheme for common pasture land, and no individual can claim a personal benefit under it.
• Gaushalas or panjrapoles that are not registered under the Public Charity Act. Registration is an eligibility condition, not a formality.
• Bodies that do not hold gauchar land in the survey numbers proposed.
• Applicants proposing an area beyond 20 hectares for assistance; the area ceiling binds even if the pasture is larger.
• Bodies that have already taken the benefit once, since the scheme is a one-time benefit.

How much money does the scheme pay?

The scheme meets 75% of the per-hectare expenditure, capped at Rs 75,000 per hectare, for an area of up to 20 hectares. Developing the full 20 hectares therefore attracts a maximum of Rs 15,00,000.

Worked through: if the sanctioned estimate for one hectare is Rs 80,000, the 75% share is Rs 60,000, which is within the Rs 75,000 per-hectare cap and is what gets paid. If the estimate is Rs 1,20,000 a hectare, 75% would be Rs 90,000, but the cap limits the assistance to Rs 75,000 and the balance falls on the panchayat or the institution. This is why the estimate must be drawn strictly as per the prevailing Schedule of Rates (S.O.R.) — an inflated estimate does not increase the payment, it only increases the applicant's own share.

What documents are required?

• 7/12 extract, 8-A extract and the 6-rights record of the gauchar land.
• GPS Map App photographs of the gauchar land with date and time.
• GPS Map App camera photographs of the specific survey number selected for development.
• Project map and cost estimate prepared as per the existing S.O.R.
• Government-approved or registered surveyor's certificate of the land measurement.
• For gram panchayats, the gram sabha resolution and the appointment of the gauchar gram samiti.
• For gaushalas and panjrapoles, the Public Charity Act registration.

How to apply for the fodder development scheme

1. Pass the enabling resolution. A gram panchayat must call the gram sabha, pass a resolution on the gauchar development work, and appoint the members of the gauchar gram samiti who will implement it. A gaushala or panjrapole should record an equivalent decision of its managing committee.
2. Get the land measured and the estimate prepared. Obtain the surveyor's certificate for the measurement of the proposed area, and have the project map and cost estimate drawn up as per the current Schedule of Rates.
3. Collect the land records and site photographs. Take out the 7/12, 8-A and 6-rights records, and photograph the selected survey number using a GPS map camera app so that each image carries location, date and time.
4. Apply online on the iKhedut portal. Go to ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in, open the animal husbandry schemes section, select this scheme and submit the application. Use the update option to correct details before confirming, then confirm the application.
5. Print, get it endorsed and submit within 30 days. Take a printout of the online application, obtain the signature and stamp of the Gauseva and Gauchar Vikas Board's nodal officer for your district, attach all supporting documents, and submit the set to the board within 30 days of applying online. Missing this window is the most avoidable way to lose an otherwise good application.
6. Cooperate with verification and carry out the work. Expect the site to be inspected against the pre-work photographs and the surveyor's certificate before and after the work.

How to check your application status

Use the applicant corner on the iKhedut portal to view, print and re-upload your application details, and to see the current status of the file. Keep the application number generated at confirmation. It is the reference the board and the portal both work with. For anything the portal does not show, contact the Gauseva and Gauchar Vikas Board district nodal officer who endorsed your printed application, since the physical file is routed through that office.

Common reasons applications fail

• The printout never reached the board within 30 days, so the online application lapsed even though it was correctly filed.
• No nodal officer signature and stamp on the printed application.
• Photographs without GPS location, date or time, which cannot be tied to the survey number claimed.
• No surveyor's certificate, or a measurement that does not match the survey records.
• An estimate not drawn as per the current S.O.R., which the board cannot accept as the basis for computing 75%.
• Gaushala or panjrapole not registered under the Public Charity Act.
• A second application from a body that has already taken the one-time benefit.
• Missing gram sabha resolution or no gauchar gram samiti appointed, leaving no accountable implementing body at village level.

Key points to remember

• 75% of per-hectare expenditure, capped at Rs 75,000 per hectare.
• Maximum 20 hectares and maximum Rs 15,00,000 in total.
• One-time benefit per eligible body.
• Online application on iKhedut, physical submission to the board within 30 days.
• Works covered: acacia and weed removal, ploughing, fodder seed sowing, wire fencing.

Help and grievance redressal

For questions on the application, approach the Gauseva and Gauchar Vikas Board nodal officer for your district in the first instance; the board sits under the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat, whose scheme details are published at agri.gujarat.gov.in. Technical problems with the online form belong to the iKhedut portal at ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in. This guide does not list a helpline number because Gujarat has not published a dedicated line for this scheme. Applying on iKhedut is free, and no payment to any intermediary is required to have a panchayat or gaushala application accepted.