Subsidy Scheme on Establishment of 25 R.I.R. Birds' Unit for Weaker Section

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

The Subsidy Scheme on Establishment of 25 R.I.R. Birds' Unit for Weaker Section is a backyard poultry scheme of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, which sits under the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department of the Government of Gujarat.

R.I.R. stands for Rhode Island Red, a dual-purpose chicken breed. It lays a reasonable number of eggs and puts on enough weight to be worth selling for meat, that is hardy enough to survive backyard conditions without a controlled shed. That choice of breed is the whole point of the scheme. A Rhode Island Red flock can be kept by a household with no capital, no shed and no prior experience, in the way a broiler flock cannot.

The scheme's stated objective, in the Directorate's own words, is to "provide employment, nutritious diet and to raise the income of weaker section people of the society". Three things are bundled into that: a small income from selling eggs and birds, a protein source at home, and something productive for a household member to do without leaving the house.

What the beneficiary gets

• 25 Rhode Island Red birds, supplied in kind.
• Poultry feed to start the unit.
• Regular vaccination for the birds, provided by the department.
• 75 percent subsidy, capped at Rs 4,500, against a notified unit cost of Rs 6,000.

The beneficiary contributes the balance, roughly Rs 1,500. The Rs 4,500 is a ceiling, not a floor; if the actual cost of birds and feed rises, the state's share stays at Rs 4,500 and the beneficiary absorbs the difference.

This is a benefit in kind, not a cash transfer. Nobody receives Rs 4,500 in a bank account. The department procures the birds and feed and hands over the unit.

Who is eligible for the R.I.R. birds unit subsidy in Gujarat?

You can apply if:

• You are an adult resident of Gujarat.
• Your household belongs to an economically weaker section, and you can produce an income certificate to that effect.
• You have taken poultry-keeping training. The scheme conditions require the beneficiary to be trained before the unit is handed over.
• You have space at home where 25 birds can be kept safely, and you can commit to maintaining the unit for two years.

Priority in selection goes to women applicants and to Below Poverty Line households. Where a district's annual target is smaller than the number of applicants, which is usual, these are the two filters that decide who gets in.

You are not eligible and cannot apply if:

• You are not from an economically weaker section, or you cannot produce an income certificate.
• You are a minor. The scheme is for adults.
• You are not resident in Gujarat.
• You have not taken poultry-keeping training and are unwilling to take it.
• You are running a commercial broiler or layer farm. Gujarat has thousands of these, the Directorate records over 3,400 private broiler farms and around 390 layer farms in the state, and they are served by other schemes. This one is strictly for backyard units of 25 birds.
• You have already been given a unit under the scheme and are seeking a second one within the maintenance period.

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

This is an offline scheme. There is no online form. Follow these steps.

1. Take the poultry-keeping training first. Contact the district poultry extension centre and enrol in the poultry farming training. Gujarat runs a companion stipend scheme that pays trainees Rs 300 a day for six days plus Rs 200 travel, up to Rs 2,000, so the training itself need not cost you money. Collect the training certificate at the end.
2. Get the income certificate. Apply to the Mamlatdar for an income certificate. If your household holds a Below Poverty Line card, take that as well, since it improves your priority.
3. Visit the nearest Intensive Poultry Development Project office or District Poultry Extension Centre. Ask for the application form for the 25 R.I.R. birds unit subsidy for weaker sections.
4. Fill in every mandatory field on the form. Incomplete forms are set aside rather than returned, so check the form against the office's checklist before handing it in.
5. Attach self-attested copies of the documents; identity proof, income certificate, residence proof, training certificate, and the BPL card or caste certificate where these apply.
6. Submit the form to the designated receiving authority at that office and ask for a dated acknowledgement or inward number. This is your only proof of having applied.
7. Wait for verification and sanction. The Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandry sanctions eligible applications. Once sanctioned, the unit of 25 birds with feed is handed over to you.

What documents are needed?

The set is short, because the scheme is small and administered at the district level.

• Identity proof — Aadhaar card or Voter ID.
• Income certificate. The document that establishes weaker-section status.
• Residence proof: ration card, electricity bill or a Talati certificate.
• Poultry-keeping training certificate.
• Below Poverty Line card, if you hold one, for priority.
• Caste certificate, only if you are applying against a reserved-category component of the district target.

Bring the originals along with the self-attested copies. District offices routinely verify against originals at the counter.

What conditions must be met after the unit is handed over?

The scheme carries real post-sanction obligations, and they are enforced.

• Maintain the unit for two years in normal cases. Selling off the flock early breaches the condition.
• Keep the birds safe at night. The Directorate makes night-time protection an explicit condition, because predation is the single largest cause of losses in backyard poultry.
• Get the birds vaccinated regularly. Vaccination is provided by the department, but attending the vaccination rounds is the beneficiary's responsibility.
• Treat infected birds immediately, through the nearest veterinary dispensary.
• Maintain and produce an income and expenditure statement when departmental officers inspect the unit.

The Director of Animal Husbandry, Gujarat holds final authority on the interpretation of these conditions and on any dispute about them.

How do I check the status of the application?

Because the scheme is offline, there is no portal status page. Status is checked in person or by telephone at the office where the application was submitted, quoting the inward number and date from your acknowledgement. That is why the acknowledgement matters so much; without it, an office with a stack of paper applications has no reliable way to find yours.

Realistically, expect the district office to work through applications against its annual physical target for the financial year. If your application was submitted late in the year and the target is exhausted, it may be carried into the next year's list rather than rejected. Ask which of the two has happened.

Why do applications get rejected?

• No income certificate, or one that is out of date. The weaker-section criterion is the core eligibility test and cannot be waived.
• No training certificate. Applicants frequently apply first and plan to train later; the condition runs the other way.
• District target exhausted. Not a rejection on merit, the application simply cannot be sanctioned that year.
• No safe space for the birds. Where a field inspection finds no place to house 25 birds at night, the case is not sanctioned.
• Applicant already holds a unit under the scheme and is inside the two-year maintenance period.
• Incomplete form or unsigned attachments. Self-attestation on every copy is expected.

What are the key dates?

No statewide last date is published for this scheme. Applications are taken through the year and sanctioned against each district's annual physical target for the financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March. The practical consequence is that applying in April or May gives a materially better chance than applying in January, when the year's target is usually spent. Complete the poultry training in advance so you are ready to file at the start of the year.

Where do I complain if something goes wrong?

Start at the office where you submitted the form, the Intensive Poultry Development Project office or District Poultry Extension Centre: quoting your inward number. If the application has been sitting without movement or has been rejected on grounds you dispute, escalate to the Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandry for your region, who is the sanctioning authority.

Above that sits the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, Gujarat, whose contact details and regional office addresses are published at https://doah.gujarat.gov.in under the Contact section. The Directorate does not publish a dedicated toll-free helpline for this scheme, so use the regional office contact listed there rather than a number quoted by an intermediary.

No fee is payable to apply. The only money that should change hands is the beneficiary's own 25 percent contribution towards the unit cost, paid to the department against a receipt.