Supply of Kadaknath Chicks on Subsidy

What is the Kadaknath chicks subsidy scheme?

Supply of Kadaknath Chicks on Subsidy is a backyard poultry scheme of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of Madhya Pradesh. The scheme supplies 40 Kadaknath chicks of 28 days, together with feed and medicines, to a Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste family, against a unit cost of Rs 4,400 of which the family deposits only 25 per cent.

According to the Khargone district portal of the Government of Madhya Pradesh, the objective is to protect the Kadaknath breed while improving the economic condition of Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries. Other district portals, such as Neemuch, list a parallel component for Scheduled Caste families under the name "supply of Kadaknath chicks on grant".

Why Kadaknath

Kadaknath is Madhya Pradesh's own indigenous poultry breed, associated with the Jhabua and Alirajpur districts and with the Bhil and Bhilala communities there. The bird is black-fleshed, slow-growing and hardy in village conditions, and it sells at a substantially higher price than ordinary broiler chicken. Madhya Pradesh holds a Geographical Indication registration for Kadaknath, which makes its conservation a state priority rather than only a livelihood question.

What the scheme is designed to achieve

• Conservation of the Kadaknath breed by putting breeding stock back into village households across the state.
• Additional cash income for tribal and Scheduled Caste families from the sale of birds and eggs.
• Better household nutrition through eggs and meat produced at home.
• Backyard poultry that needs very little land, capital or feed purchase, so it suits landless and near-landless families.

Who is eligible for the Kadaknath chicks scheme?

You can be selected if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste family, as certified by the competent revenue authority in Madhya Pradesh.
• You are a resident of Madhya Pradesh and live in a district where the scheme is being implemented in that year.
• You are genuinely interested in backyard poultry rearing and have a small shelter or covered space to keep 40 birds.
• You are able to deposit the 25 per cent beneficiary share of the Rs 4,400 unit cost.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You do not hold a Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste certificate, this is the scheme's core targeting condition and there is no general-category component.
• You live outside Madhya Pradesh.
• You have already received a Kadaknath unit under the scheme and it is still recorded against your family for the current cycle.
• You cannot deposit the beneficiary share, since the grant is released only after the share is paid.
• You want the birds purely for immediate resale rather than rearing.

Meeting the criteria does not guarantee supply. Each district has an annual physical target and budget, and sanctions stop when the target is met, so applications made late in the financial year may be carried forward.

How much does the beneficiary pay and get?

Supplying chicks at 28 days rather than day-old is a deliberate design choice. Day-old chicks need brooding heat and close care, and mortality in a village backyard is high. A 28-day-old chick has passed the most fragile stage, so more of the 40 birds survive to earning age.

What documents are required for the Kadaknath chicks scheme?

How to apply for Kadaknath chicks on subsidy

1. Visit your nearest government veterinary institution. The veterinary hospital, dispensary or artificial insemination sub-centre of the Animal Husbandry Department in your block, and ask for the Kadaknath chicks supply scheme application form.
2. Fill the form with your name, village, Samagra ID, Aadhaar number, community, bank details and the space you have available for poultry.
3. Attach your caste certificate, Aadhaar, residence proof, bank passbook copy and photograph, and submit the set at the same veterinary institution. Take a dated acknowledgement.
4. Wait for verification, in which the veterinary officer confirms your eligibility and shelter arrangement, and places your case for sanction against the district's target.
5. Deposit the 25 per cent beneficiary share once the veterinary officer tells you the case is being sanctioned. The grant is approved only after this share is received.
6. Take delivery of the 40 chicks with the feed and medicines, and collect the vaccination and feeding schedule from the veterinary officer at the same time.

There is no online portal for this scheme, and no fee is payable to anyone other than the official beneficiary share.

How do I check my application status?

The scheme has no online status tracker. Ask, in order:

1. The veterinary officer or dispensary in-charge where you submitted the form, whether your case has been verified and forwarded.
2. The block veterinary extension officer, whether the case is on the block's proposal for the year.
3. The District Veterinary Officer or Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry, whether the district's target for Kadaknath units is still open.

Keep your dated acknowledgement — without it, a follow-up months later is hard to pursue.

Why do Kadaknath applications get rejected or delayed?

• No valid caste certificate, or a certificate that has expired or is in a different name from the Aadhaar record.
• District target exhausted for the financial year, which defers rather than rejects the case.
• Beneficiary share not deposited after the case was cleared for sanction.
• No shelter or space for the birds noted at the time of verification.
• Chick availability; Kadaknath chicks come from a limited set of government and approved hatcheries, so supply can lag the sanction.
• Repeat benefit already recorded against the same family.

How to keep the 40 chicks alive and productive

The department supplies feed and medicines with the unit, but the returns depend on how the birds are handled in the first weeks after delivery:

• Keep the chicks in a clean, dry, draught-free shelter, safe from dogs, cats and kites, predation, not disease, is often the largest single loss in backyard units.
• Follow the vaccination schedule the veterinary officer gives you, particularly for Ranikhet disease, which can wipe out a flock.
• Provide clean drinking water at all times and use the supplied feed as a supplement to scavenging rather than replacing it entirely.
• Report unusual mortality to the veterinary institution immediately instead of treating birds on your own.

Kadaknath is slower growing than commercial broiler stock, so income arrives later than in a broiler unit but at a much higher price per bird.

Help and grievance redressal

• Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Madhya Pradesh: 0755-2772262
• Email: dirveterinary[at]mp[dot]gov[dot]in
• Official website: mpdah.gov.in
• First contact locally: the veterinary institution where you applied
• Escalation: the District Veterinary Officer or Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry, and then the divisional Joint Director of Veterinary Services

Application under this scheme is free. Any person asking for money to "get your name added" to the Kadaknath supply list is not acting for the department.