Him Kukkut Palan Yojana, Himachal Pradesh

What is Him Kukkut Palan Yojana?

Him Kukkut Palan Yojana is a state-sector poultry development scheme of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Himachal Pradesh. The scheme helps a farmer or a rural entrepreneur set up a commercial broiler poultry unit rather than a backyard flock, and it pays a large part of both the one-time construction cost and the first cycle's running cost.

According to the Himachal Pradesh Economic Survey 2024-25, published by the Economics and Statistics Department, a beneficiary under Him Kukkut Palan Yojana receives three thousand day-old broiler chicks, feed, feeders and drinkers, and gets a 60 per cent subsidy on both capital investment and recurring costs. Capital investment here means the shed building, the feeders and the drinkers. Recurring cost means the cost of the chicks and the feed.

The scheme sits inside the department's wider Poultry Development Scheme, which also runs the Backyard Poultry Project. The two are aimed at different people. Backyard Poultry distributes 10 to 100 three-week-old Low Input Technology birds at cost price to household rearers. Him Kukkut Palan Yojana is the commercial route, and the unit size of 3,000 birds is designed to give a family a genuine income stream rather than a supplementary one.

Poultry matters to Himachal Pradesh because the state's own poultry base is small. As per the Livestock Census 2019 quoted in the Economic Survey, Himachal Pradesh holds 0.16 per cent of India's total poultry and ranks 27th among states in poultry population, with a poultry population of about 13.42 lakh birds. Meat production in the state rose from 39.66 thousand tonnes in 2011-12 to 55.50 thousand tonnes in 2024-25. Him Kukkut Palan Yojana is one of the levers the department uses to close that gap using state farmers rather than imports.

Who is eligible for Him Kukkut Palan Yojana?

You can be considered if:

• You are a bonafide resident of Himachal Pradesh. Him Kukkut Palan Yojana is funded from the state budget and is meant for the state's own farmers.
• You have land or a site on which a poultry shed can be built, held either in your own name or on a documented lease.
• You are willing to build the shed and buy the feeders and drinkers, on which the department reimburses 60 per cent of the cost.
• You can meet the remaining 40 per cent of both capital and recurring cost from your own funds or from a bank loan.
• You are prepared to run a 3,000-bird broiler cycle, which needs daily attention, water, electricity and biosecurity.

You cannot apply or are not eligible if:

• You are not a resident of Himachal Pradesh.
• You have no land or shed site. The unit cannot be sanctioned in the air; the site is inspected before the chicks are placed.
• You have already been sanctioned a unit under Him Kukkut Palan Yojana and are asking for a second one in the same cycle.
• You want household-scale birds only. In that case the correct scheme is the Backyard Poultry Project, not this one.
• The year's unit target is already filled. Only 97 units were provided for in FY 2024-25 and 123 units in FY 2023-24, so a late application simply carries to the next year's list.

There is no published income ceiling for Him Kukkut Palan Yojana, and no published age limit. Where the department has to choose between more applicants than units, district-level selection committees prioritise on the basis of readiness of the site, past experience and the reservation shares that apply to state-sector schemes.

What are the benefits under Him Kukkut Palan Yojana?

The 60 per cent share is the same on both sides of the cost, which is unusual. Most livestock subsidy schemes cover only the asset and leave the running cost to the farmer. Him Kukkut Palan Yojana covers the first cycle of chicks and feed too, which is the part that normally defeats a first-time poultry farmer.

Scale of the programme. Himachal Pradesh budgeted Rs 388.84 lakh for 97 units in FY 2024-25 and Rs 487.08 lakh for 123 units in FY 2023-24. In FY 2023-24, 101 beneficiaries had been selected up to December 2023 and Rs 177.12 lakh of subsidy was due for release. In FY 2024-25, 32 beneficiaries had been selected up to December 2024 and Rs 126.72 lakh of subsidy was to be released after all chicks were distributed.

What documents are required for Him Kukkut Palan Yojana?

How to apply for Him Kukkut Palan Yojana

Him Kukkut Palan Yojana is run through the veterinary field network rather than through a citizen web portal. The steps are:

1. Visit your nearest government veterinary hospital or veterinary dispensary and tell the Veterinary Officer that you want to be considered for a poultry unit under Him Kukkut Palan Yojana in the current financial year.
2. Collect and fill the application form kept at the institution. Attach the Himachali bonafide certificate, Aadhaar card, bank passbook copy, proof of the shed site and a passport-size photograph.
3. Submit the completed form to the Veterinary Officer, who records it and forwards the case to the Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry of your district.
4. Allow the site inspection. A departmental officer visits the proposed shed site to confirm that it is suitable, has water and is far enough from habitation.
5. Wait for the district selection list. Because the number of units is capped each year, the district selects beneficiaries against its share of the state target.
6. Build the shed and buy feeders and drinkers once you are selected, keeping every bill and receipt.
7. Take delivery of the 3,000 day-old chicks and the feed, and sign the distribution record.
8. Receive the subsidy by transfer to your bank account after the distribution is complete and the claim is passed by the district office.

How do I check my application status?

Him Kukkut Palan Yojana does not publish an online status tracker. Track your case in this order:

1. Ask the Veterinary Officer at the institution where you filed the form whether the case has been forwarded to the district office.
2. Ask the office of the Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry in your district whether your name appears in the current year's selection list.
3. If the answer is unsatisfactory, raise the matter on the Himachal Pradesh online public grievance system, e-Samadhan, at esamadhan.nic.in, naming the scheme, the district and the date on which you applied.

Why applications for Him Kukkut Palan Yojana get rejected

• The year's unit target is already full. This is the most common reason and it is not a fault in your application. Only 97 units existed in FY 2024-25.
• No clear title to the shed site. A site held informally, or land in a relative's name without a lease, fails the inspection.
• The site is unsuitable: no assured water supply, no road access for feed and bird movement, or too close to another poultry unit for biosecurity.
• Bank account not in the applicant's own name or the IFSC recorded wrongly, which stalls the DBT release even after selection.
• Inability to meet the 40 per cent own share. The scheme is a subsidy, not a full grant, and a beneficiary who cannot fund the balance cannot complete the unit.
• Duplicate benefit — the same household already holding a sanctioned unit.

Key dates and how the year runs

Him Kukkut Palan Yojana operates on the financial year, April to March. Applications are collected through the year at veterinary institutions, selection is made district-wise against the state target, and chick distribution and subsidy release follow through the year. The Economic Survey figures for both FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 are reported as at December, which shows that distribution continues into the last quarter of the year. If your application misses the current year's list, it is normally considered in the next year's cycle, so it is worth confirming with the Veterinary Officer that the form has been carried forward rather than filing a fresh one.

Where do I complain if something goes wrong?

• Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry of your district is the first appeal for selection and subsidy release disputes.
• Directorate of Animal Husbandry, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla handles matters the district cannot resolve.
• e-Samadhan, the Himachal Pradesh online public grievance redressal system at esamadhan.nic.in, is the written route that generates a traceable reference number.
• The Himachal Pradesh CM Helpline, 1100, takes grievances on state schemes by phone.

No agent or middleman can charge you for being added to the Him Kukkut Palan Yojana list. The application form at the veterinary institution is free, and the subsidy is paid only into the beneficiary's own bank account.