Subsidy Scheme on Establishment of 25 Kadaknath/R.I.R. Birds Unit to Scheduled Tribes

What is the 25 Kadaknath/R.I.R. Birds Unit subsidy scheme?

Subsidy Scheme on Establishment of 25 Kadaknath/R.I.R. Birds Unit to Scheduled Tribes is a Gujarat state scheme run by the Directorate of Animal Husbandry under the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department. The scheme puts a small backyard poultry unit: 25 birds together with poultry feed, into the hands of an adult Scheduled Tribe beneficiary, at a quarter of the cost.

According to the scheme details published on the national myScheme portal, the unit cost is Rs 6,000 and the state bears 75 per cent of it, capped at Rs 4,500. The support is delivered in kind, as birds and feed, rather than as a cash transfer. The birds supplied are either Kadaknath, the black-meat breed originally from central India that commands a premium price, or Rhode Island Red (R.I.R.), a dual-purpose breed valued for both eggs and meat.

Why the scheme exists

The Directorate states three purposes: to provide employment, to improve the nutritious diet available to Scheduled Tribe households, and to raise the income of Scheduled Tribe people in Gujarat. A 25-bird unit is not a commercial poultry farm. It is a supplementary income and nutrition activity that fits alongside farming or wage labour, needs no shed construction beyond a secure night enclosure, and starts returning eggs within months.

Main features

• Unit size fixed at 25 birds, supplied with poultry feed.
• 75 per cent subsidy, maximum Rs 4,500, on a Rs 6,000 unit cost.
• Birds are vaccinated regularly under the scheme.
• One beneficiary per family.
• Application is offline, at the district poultry office.
• Sanction is issued by the Regional Joint Director.

Who is eligible for the scheme?

You can apply if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Tribe community and are a resident of Gujarat.
• You are an adult. The benefit is given only to adults.
• You can produce a caste certificate and an income proof certificate, both of which must be attached to the application.
• You have undergone poultry-keeping training. The scheme expects the beneficiary to have taken this training before the unit is sanctioned.
• You are able to house the birds safely at night and to maintain the unit for two years in the normal course.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You do not belong to a Scheduled Tribe. This scheme is restricted to ST beneficiaries. Scheduled Caste applicants are covered by a separate, parallel poultry subsidy scheme of the same Directorate.
• You are a minor.
• Another member of your family has already received this benefit, since only one member of a family can be benefited.
• You have not taken poultry-keeping training and are unwilling to.
• You are a resident of another state.

Priority within the eligible pool goes to women and to beneficiaries below the poverty line. Priority is not the same as eligibility — a non-BPL male ST applicant remains eligible, but is placed after women and BPL applicants when the district target is limited.

How much benefit does the scheme provide?

The subsidy is expressed as a maximum, so a beneficiary cannot draw more than Rs 4,500 even if bird or feed prices rise. Because the support is in kind, the beneficiary does not receive a Direct Benefit Transfer to a bank account for this component, though a savings account passbook is still part of the document set.

What conditions attach to the unit?

The Directorate lists specific terms and conditions with this scheme, and they matter because non-compliance can lead to recovery:

• Sanction authority. Eligible applications are sanctioned by the Regional Joint Director of the department.
• Night safety. The beneficiary must arrange to keep the birds safe during night hours, which in practice means a predator-proof enclosure.
• Prompt treatment. As and when birds get infected, they must be given treatment immediately.
• Records for inspection. When a government officer visits the farm, the beneficiary must show an income and expenditure statement for the unit.
• Two-year maintenance. In normal cases the unit has to be maintained for two years.
• Final authority. On all terms and conditions the final authority is the Director of Animal Husbandry, Gujarat State, Gandhinagar.

Keeping a simple notebook of feed purchases, egg and bird sales, and mortality from the day the unit arrives is the least burdensome way to satisfy the income and expenditure requirement.

What documents are required?

All copies should be self-attested before submission.

How to apply for the 25 birds unit scheme

1. Visit the nearest Intensive Poultry Development Project Office or District Poultry Extension Centre in your district and ask for the application form for the 25 Kadaknath / R.I.R. birds unit scheme for Scheduled Tribes.
2. Complete poultry-keeping training if you have not already done so, since the scheme expects the beneficiary to be trained before the unit is sanctioned. The district poultry office can tell you when the next training is scheduled.
3. Fill in every mandatory field of the application form, including your caste, family details and the location where the unit will be kept.
4. Attach the self-attested documents, identity proof, ST caste certificate, income proof, residence proof, savings bank passbook copy, and BPL card, ration card or disability certificate where applicable.
5. Submit the form to the designated receiving authority at the same office and ask for an acknowledgement.
6. Wait for verification and sanction by the Regional Joint Director. Once sanctioned, the birds and feed are supplied and the beneficiary pays only the 25 per cent share.

There is no online application route for this scheme. Applications are not accepted through the i-Khedut portal.

Why applications get rejected

• No Scheduled Tribe certificate, or a certificate not issued by the competent authority in Gujarat.
• Missing income proof, which the scheme requires alongside the caste certificate.
• No poultry-keeping training, which the department treats as a precondition.
• Another family member already benefited, since the scheme is one per family.
• Applicant below 18, as the benefit is for adults.
• District target already filled for the year, which is a deferral rather than a defect.

Where a unit is sanctioned and then not maintained for the required two years, or is disposed of soon after supply, the department can treat the assistance as irregular and pursue recovery. Applicants who are not confident of running the unit for two years should say so before accepting the birds.

Help and where to ask

• Directorate of Animal Husbandry, Gujarat, at doah.gujarat.gov.in for scheme lists and office contacts.
• District Poultry Extension Centre or Intensive Poultry Development Project Office in your district for forms, training dates and status.
• Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandry for sanction-related queries.
• Director of Animal Husbandry, Gujarat State, Gandhinagar, as the final authority on the scheme's terms.

The application form is free and no fee is payable to any intermediary to have a poultry unit sanctioned.