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Part V :
Veterinary Infrastructure And
Service Delivery System
In Karnataka, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services (AH&VS) oversees veterinary
and health care services. Four institutions supplement efforts of the department in dairy sector viz.,
“Karnataka Veterinary Council”, “Karnataka Veterinary Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar”,
“Institute of Animal Health & Veterinary Biologicals, Bangalore” and “Karnataka Milk Federation,
Bangalore”. In addition, the government has also formed “Karnataka Livestock Development Agency”
in 2002 to implement a national project on cattle and buffalo breeding. The implementation of AH&VS
department has devolved the functions to thePanchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) at district (Zilla Panchayat
[ZP]), block (Taluka Panchayat [TP]), and Gram Panchayat (GP) levels.
The government has set-up 3,680 veterinary hospitals, dispensaries, clinics, mobile units or veterinary
centres and 3,910 Artificial Insemination (AI) centres. During 2012-13, the government agencies have
performed about 23.7 lakh AIs on bovines.
Of late, both the government as well as Cooperatives in Karnataka are facing shortages of veterinary
doctors in the state. It has effected vaccination programmes. In 2013, the state had experienced an
out-break of Foot-and-Mouth disease. The state government has issued an order re-organising the
Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences in a bid to streamline its services. The
cooperatives are actively envisaging to finance the children of the farmer members to study the five-
year course in veterinary science and serve as veterinarians.