DOORSTEP AND DOMICILIARY VETERINARY SERVICE

The scheme aims to provide health care service at the door step of the farmers. In the present condition in light of fast urbanization, farmers find difficulty in bringing their animals that too valuable ones to the clinics. The present need of the farmer is to get service at his farm premise. The farmers also find difficulty in getting service in the odd hours of the day from 6 PM to next day morning 6AM. This scheme aims to fill this critical gap by providing emergency veterinary service beyond regular working hours of Veterinary Dispensaries/Hospitals at farmers doorstep. The scheme will help achieve the following outcomes:
• Reduced burden on farmers to transport animals to clinics.
• Improved livestock health and welfare through accessible, professional service.
• Enhanced farmer confidence and support for sustainable livestock farming.

The department has already scaled up its Mobile Veterinary Services capacity. The Emergency Night Veterinary Service will also be integrated with this scheme, to ensure effective doorstep service delivery, providing timely and reliable veterinary care beyond regular office hours. 47 Mobile Veterinary Units, the 3 mobile Tele-Veterinary units, 3 Mobile Veterinary Units under RKVY, 12 Mobile Surgery Units, the Ambulatory vehicles and the Motor Boat Veterinary Service under the Department will be further strengthened for rendering service at the doorstep of farmers. The outlay can be utilised for engaging contract staff for providing door step service at the block level, maintenance and propulsion charges of mobile units as well as for engaging contract staff in these mobile units. Regular scheduled visits of these units will be provided at fixed locations in potential panchayaths. In addition to these, for augmenting professional veterinary service in potential areas, Junior Residentship programme will be implemented under which 50 fresh Veterinary graduates will be engaged as Junior Residents in Veterinary institutions.
State‑Level 24×7 Call Centre for Animals in Distress

The Animal Husbandry Department, Kerala has established a state‑level call centre (1962 toll‑free number) to provide immediate assistance to animals in distress. Functioning from the District Animal Husbandry Office campus, Thiruvananthapuram, the centre operates round‑the‑clock and serves as a lifeline for livestock owners, pet owners, and citizens encountering animals in need of urgent care.
Key Objectives

• Deliver timely help for animals facing injury, disease, abandonment, or abuse.
• Provide a single platform for citizens to access Veterinary services beyond regular office hours.

• Coordinate Mobile Veterinary Units (MVUs), Mobile Surgery Units, & Tele-Veterinary services, for effective service delivery.
• STRENGTHENING OF DEPARTMENT FARMS
• The scheme aims to strengthen production through departmental farms and promoting entrepreneurship across the State.
• The Animal Husbandry Department currently operates 25 farms across Kerala, comprising 12 livestock farms and 13 poultry farms. In addition, in 2025 established the Bedaduka Hi-Tech Goat Farm in Kasaragod district.
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• These farms rear poultry, ducks, cattle, pigs, goats, and rabbits, and serve not only as production and breeding centres for quality stock but also as training and technology demonstration hubs. Through departmental farms, high-quality livestock and poultry are distributed to farmers and entrepreneurs for rearing. These farms also sell organic manure, milk, eggs, fodder slips and other related products.
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• Infrastructure development, Strengthening of Bio-safety and Bio-security of the department farms, supply of inputs, feed, medicines for farms, purchase of parent stock, mechanisation, expansion and renovation of existing farms, production-oriented programmes, etc. are the activities proposed under the scheme. Maximum floor space utilisation will be ensured and farm network under the department will be strengthened to act as model farms for demonstration purpose.
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• Key Activities
• Purchase of feed, fodder, hatching eggs, nutrients, parent stock, medicines, and biologicals.
• Fodder development including maintenance of plots, inter-cultivation, manuring, irrigation, land development, and harvesting.
• Operational support covering transportation, insurance, utilities, maintenance, and recurring farm requirements.
• Manpower support on contract basis for farm services.
• Production-oriented programmes such as the Comprehensive Farm Aid Package for Medium Scale Dairy Farms, supporting farms with 10–20 milch cows through veterinary care, nutritional support, breeding services, fodder cultivation, and mechanization.
• Infrastructure development for farm mechanization to reduce labour costs and promote modern scientific practices.
• Upgradation of farms through construction, repair, and completion of ongoing projects, with priority to works initiated in previous years.
• Implementation of Comprehensive Farm Aid Package for Medium Scale Dairy Farms
• District Level Technical Committee (DLTC) will oversee smooth implementation and monitoring.
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• Applications will be invited at the panchayat level, scrutinized at the district level, and approved by the District Animal Husbandry Officer.
• Beneficiaries will be geo-tagged in the department’s GIS portal.
• Health monitoring, mastitis screening, infertility diagnosis, and disease management will be ensured.
• Support will be extended for fodder cultivation, mechanization, and adoption of modern management practices.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) will be used for eligible expenses, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Training on modern dairy practices and linkage with Kissan Credit Cards will be promoted.
• Financial outlay per farm :- Maximum financial assistance / farm – Rs 1 Lakh
• (i) Executive Veterinary Health Care Support including treatment expenses such as cost of essential medicines, hormones, etc on need basis – Rs 10,000/-
• (ii) Nutritional Support for feeding energy rich cattle feed, mineral mixture, rumen buffer etc- Maximum of Rs 25,000/-. The expense in this regard will be provided to the beneficiary as DBT upon presenting the necessary vouchers/bills in this regard.
• (iii) Assistance for fodder cultivation- Assistance amount will be limited to a maximum of Rs 12,000/- per acre in proportion of land area with a ceiling limit of Ceiling limit of Rs 12,000/-.
• (iv) Mechanization support- Rs 50,000/- subject to a maximum of 50% of the expense incurred by the farmer.
• (v) Operational cost including monitoring, documentation and other miscellaneous expenses of DLTC per farm- Rs 3000/-
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• The scheme is expected to:
• Modernize and strengthen departmental farms.
• Enhance milk, meat, and egg production.
• Promote conservation of indigenous breeds.
• Support medium-scale dairy farms across the state.
Build resilient, bio-secure, and farmer-friendly farm infrastructure for the future.
• Biological Production Complex – Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Palode
• The Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Palode, established in 1958 under the Department of Animal Husbandry, is the only government‑sector institute in Kerala engaged in the production of veterinary vaccines and biologicals. The institute manufactures and supplies 17 types of viral and bacterial vaccines, diagnostic reagents, and kits essential for the prevention and control of livestock and poultry diseases.
• With a dedicated workforce and specialized laboratory sections, the institute ensures strict compliance with biosecurity, biosafety, and quality assurance protocols. All products undergo rigorous in‑vitro and in‑vivo testing aligned with national and international standards before distribution. Certified vaccines and biologicals are supplied free of cost to farmers through the state’s veterinary service network.
• The scheme envisages strengthening of the Institute with modern facilities including cGMP and other support facilities to augment production. The outlay is for laboratory animal unit, continuing the production of bacterial and viral vaccines as well as other biologicals for the use of animals and birds, medical checkup and health insurance, continuing professional education, infrastructure development, research and development, Materials and supplies, repair and maintenance activities, office expenses, insurance, AMC of equipment, repair and maintenance of motor vehicles, petrol, oil and lubricants, operational cost etc.
By combining production, research, and training, the Biological Production Complex plays a pivotal role in safeguarding animal health, supporting disease control, and strengthening Kerala’s livestock sector.
• Expansion of Cross Breeding Facilities
• Kerala has been a pioneer in cross breeding and upgrading its cattle population, with nearly the entire cattle stock now crossbred, resulting in significant improvements in milk production. The Expansion of Cross Breeding Facilities scheme is designed to sustain this progress and further strengthen livestock development in the state.
• The initiative supports artificial insemination activities, mineral mixture supplementation and deworming programmes, procurement of essential equipment for AI facilities, and operational requirements of field institutions. It also provides assistance to local bodies for construction and modernisation of veterinary sub‑centres, implements infertility management programmes to improve conception rates in cattle, and strengthens the State Institute for Animal Fertility Management at Aluva.
Through these measures, the Department aims to ensure scientific livestock development, improved productivity, enhanced farmer support, and modernised veterinary infrastructure, thereby contributing to the overall growth of the dairy sector in Kerala.