Subsidy Scheme on Establishment of 25 R.I.R. Birds' Unit for Scheduled Caste

What is the 25 R.I.R. birds' unit subsidy scheme?

The 25 R.I.R. birds' unit subsidy scheme is a backyard poultry scheme of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, which sits under the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat. Its purpose is to give a poor household a small, low-risk source of supplementary income and household protein by handing over a starter flock of 25 birds together with poultry feed, at a heavy subsidy.

R.I.R. stands for Rhode Island Red, a hardy dual-purpose breed that lays well and survives backyard conditions. The directorate's current listing pairs it with Kadaknath, the black-meat breed that sells at a premium, so the unit is now described as "25 R.I.R./Kadaknath birds".

The scheme is listed by the Directorate of Animal Husbandry as a scheme to provide a poultry farming training stipend and assistance through one unit of 25 R.I.R./Kadaknath birds. In its current published form the objective is to provide supplementary employment to beneficiaries from Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and economically weaker sections. Readers who reach this page searching for the older, Scheduled-Caste-only title will find the same component here; the department has widened the category coverage rather than closed the scheme.

A larger sibling scheme exists for people with disabilities, which gives a unit of 40 R.I.R./Kadaknath birds at 90 per cent subsidy up to Rs 10,800. The 25-bird unit described on this page is the general social-category version.

Who is eligible for the 25 R.I.R. birds' unit?

You can apply if:

• You reside in Gujarat and belong to a Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or economically weaker section family.
• You are an adult.
• You have completed poultry farming training in the same financial year in which you are applying.
• You can produce a caste certificate (where applicable) or proof of income (where applicable) with the application.
• No member of your family has already taken this benefit. It is a once-in-a-lifetime benefit for one member per family.

Priority within the eligible pool:

• Women beneficiaries are given priority under the scheme.
• Below-poverty-line applicants were given priority under the published conditions of the Scheduled Caste version of the unit.

You are not eligible and cannot apply if:

• You do not live in Gujarat.
• You cannot produce a caste certificate or income proof for the category you are claiming under.
• You have not taken poultry farming training in the current financial year.
• Another member of your family has already received this unit at any time.
• You are a minor.

How much is the assistance and what form does it take?

Both components are limited to one member of a family, once in a lifetime.

The earlier Scheduled-Caste-only version of the component was published with a unit cost of Rs 6,000 and a 75 per cent subsidy capped at Rs 4,500. The Directorate of Animal Husbandry's current page carries the higher ceiling of Rs 6,000 in kind. Where the two differ, the directorate's current page is the figure to rely on, and the sanction order you receive will state the amount actually approved for your district and year.

How to apply for the 25 R.I.R. birds' unit

1. Take poultry farming training first. Approach the nearest Intensive Poultry Development Project or District Poultry Extension Centre and complete training in the current financial year. Without this, the application fails at verification.
2. Register and apply online on the iKhedut portal at ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in, using your Aadhaar number and mobile number to register. The stipend component must be claimed online.
3. Take a printout of the submitted application.
4. Submit the physical application for the 25-bird unit at the Intensive Poultry Development Project or District Poultry Extension Centre, either by scanning and uploading the supporting documents on iKhedut, or by delivering the printout with documents to the office address shown on the application within 7 days.
5. Attach a copy of the barcoded ration card and Aadhaar card with the printout, if the Aadhaar number was entered in the application.
6. Wait for pre-approval. Applications received within the time limit are checked for eligibility on iKhedut. The component officer grants prior approval based on the number of eligible applications and the physical target limit of the district, following the procedure laid down by the Director of Animal Husbandry.

Villagers without a computer can complete step 2 at a common service centre or cyber café; the mobile number entered should be the applicant's own, because all status messages go to it.

How do I check my application status?

Log in to ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in with the application number generated at submission and open the application status screen. The three things to watch are whether the physical documents have been marked received at the poultry centre, whether the application has been marked eligible, and whether pre-approval has been granted by the component officer.

If your application shows as eligible but not approved, the usual reason is not a defect in your papers but the district physical target, the number of units sanctioned for that district in that year is finite, and applications beyond it wait for the next year's target.

Why do applications get rejected?

• Training not done, or done in a different financial year. This is the most common failure, because the training and the application must fall in the same financial year.
• Documents not submitted within 7 days of the online application.
• Caste certificate or income proof missing for the category claimed.
• Ration card not barcoded, or the name on it not matching the applicant.
• Another family member has already taken the benefit — the once-per-family, once-in-a-lifetime rule is applied strictly.
• District target exhausted for the year, which is a deferral rather than a defect.

What are my duties after I receive the birds?

The published conditions for this unit place real obligations on the beneficiary: keep the birds safe at night, get them vaccinated regularly, treat them promptly if they fall ill, and maintain the unit for two years in normal cases. When a government officer visits, the beneficiary must be able to show an income and expenditure statement for the unit. Eligible applications are sanctioned by the Regional Joint Director, and the final authority on all terms and conditions is the Director of Animal Husbandry, Gujarat State, Gandhinagar.

Where do I get help?

• Intensive Poultry Development Project / District Poultry Extension Centre in your district, the operational office for training, physical application and handover of birds.
• Directorate of Animal Husbandry, B-Block, 2nd floor, Krishibhavan, Sector-10A, Ch-Road, Gandhinagar 382010. Email: dir-anml@gujarat.gov.in. The directorate's contact page lists its phone as "(079) 0232-56141".
• Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Gandhinagar, telephone 079-23250803.
• Nearest government veterinary dispensary, for vaccination and treatment support once the unit is running.

There is no fee for applying under this scheme, and no agent can secure a sanction for you.