Animal Husbandry: Assistance to Small and Marginal Farmers, Uttarakhand

What is the Animal Husbandry Assistance to Small and Marginal Farmers scheme?

Animal Husbandry: Assistance to Small and Marginal Farmers is a Uttarakhand state scheme run by the Department of Animal Husbandry. Its purpose, as summarised on myScheme, is to give small and marginal farmers financial assistance to replace productive milch animals, that is, to help a farmer who has lost or needs to renew a productive cow or buffalo rebuild a viable dairy herd. In a hill state where over 80% of livestock is owned by small and marginal farmers, protecting and renewing the milch herd directly protects household income.

The support is delivered through the state's milch-animal development approach, which is built around units of 3 or 5 milch animals. According to the state dairy programme, loans and grants are provided for establishing 3- and 5-animal units to encourage animal husbandry and commercial milk production through milk cooperatives, with the scheme reaching milk-producer members across all 13 districts.

What benefits does the scheme provide?

The assistance package around milch-animal units in Uttarakhand includes:

• Assistance to acquire or replace milch animals in a unit of 3 or 5 animals, so a small or marginal farmer can restock productive cows or buffaloes.
• Insurance of the milch animals, which protects the farmer if an animal dies.
• Transportation assistance for moving the milch animals and milk cans.
• Help toward construction of a cattle shed, so the animals are housed properly.

The exact grant and subsidy amount depends on the unit size (3 or 5 animals) and the current-year cost approved by the department, so the per-unit figure should be confirmed at the district office rather than assumed. Where a bank loan is tied to the unit, the assistance often takes the form of a subsidy on the unit cost while the farmer meets the balance, so it is worth asking the veterinary officer both the subsidy share and the farmer's own contribution for the current year.

The reason the state builds this support around a cooperative and unit model is that a productive milch animal is the core income asset for most hill households: according to the state's dairy programme, the large majority of Uttarakhand's livestock is held by small and marginal farmers, so losing or being unable to renew a cow or buffalo directly threatens household income. Routing the new unit through a milk cooperative society gives the milk an assured collection and payment channel, which is what makes replacing a productive animal financially viable rather than a one-off cost.

Who is eligible for the scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are a small or marginal farmer in Uttarakhand, that is, you hold a small or marginal cultivable holding.
• You keep milch animals and want to replace or add productive cows or buffaloes.
• You are a resident of Uttarakhand; the milch-animal schemes cover all 13 districts.
• For unit-based dairy schemes, you are a member of a milk cooperative society where that is required.

You cannot apply if:

• You are a large landholder outside the small and marginal category, since the scheme is targeted at small and marginal farmers.
• You are not a resident of Uttarakhand.
• You seek a purely commercial large-scale unit that falls outside the notified unit sizes; such projects are handled under separate entrepreneurship or National Livestock Mission routes.

What documents are required?

• Proof of small/marginal farmer status; land record (Khatauni) or certificate of holding.
• Uttarakhand residence proof, domicile certificate or ration card.
• Aadhaar card, for identity and bank seeding.
• Bank passbook — assistance is credited to the farmer's account.
• Milk cooperative membership proof: where the unit scheme is routed through a cooperative society.

How to apply for the scheme

1. Visit your district Animal Husbandry / veterinary office, or approach your local milk cooperative society, and ask for the current-year scheme for milch- animal units for small and marginal farmers.
2. Collect and fill the application form, attaching your land record, residence proof, Aadhaar and bank passbook.
3. Submit the form to the veterinary officer or the nodal official, who verifies your small/marginal status and eligibility.
4. Complete the animal purchase and unit set-up as approved, after which the assistance, insurance and any transportation/cattle-shed support are processed.

Because this is delivered offline through the department and cooperatives, the veterinary officer is the right person to confirm the current unit cost, the subsidy share, and any bank-loan tie-up.

How to check your application status

Because the scheme is delivered offline through the district office and cooperatives, a farmer tracks progress in person rather than through an online tracker:

1. Keep the acknowledgement the veterinary or animal-husbandry office gives when you submit the form, and note the name of the officer handling it.
2. Follow up at the same district office on verification of your small/marginal status and the approval of your unit.
3. Check with your milk cooperative society where the unit is routed through it, as the society is involved in delivery and milk collection.
4. Confirm the subsidy credit in your Aadhaar-seeded bank passbook once the unit is approved and set up.

Common reasons an application is delayed or rejected

• The applicant cannot show small or marginal farmer status, the land record (Khatauni) does not support the claim.
• Residence or identity documents are missing or mismatched; no domicile proof, or a name/Aadhaar mismatch that blocks the bank transfer.
• The bank account is not Aadhaar-seeded, so the subsidy cannot be credited.
• For cooperative-routed units, the applicant is not a member of a milk cooperative society where membership is required.
• Annual targets or funds for the year are exhausted, in which case the application waits for the next cycle rather than being refused outright.

To avoid delay, carry a current land record, a domicile certificate or ration card, Aadhaar and an Aadhaar-seeded bank passbook, and ask the veterinary officer at the outset whether cooperative membership is needed for the unit you want.

How is the scheme delivered across the state?

The state's milch-animal unit scheme runs across all 13 districts of Uttarakhand and targets milk-producer members of milk cooperative societies, with a defined annual target of thousands of 3- and 5-animal units. This cooperative route helps ensure the milk produced by the new unit has an assured collection and payment channel, which is what makes replacing a productive animal financially viable for a small farmer.

Help and where to raise a problem

• Department of Animal Husbandry, Uttarakhand: ahd.uk.gov.in lists the department's schemes and district offices.
• District Animal Husbandry / Chief Veterinary Officer; your first point for application, unit cost and grievance.
• Local milk cooperative society, for cooperative-routed dairy units and milk collection.

Note on completeness: Uttarakhand publishes this support as part of its milch-animal / dairy development schemes rather than as one standalone notified document, and the exact per-unit grant and subsidy percentage are set year to year by the department. The unit structure (3 or 5 animals), insurance, transportation and cattle-shed components, and the all-13-district cooperative route are verifiable; the precise rupee figure per unit should be confirmed at the district office.