Context: 

Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the Revision of the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP). 

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• The total outlay of the scheme is Rs.3,880 crore for two years from 2024-25 to 2025-26.
• The revision of the scheme also includes the provision of ₹75 crores to provide “good quality and affordable” generic veterinary medicine and incentives for the sale of medicines under the Pashu Aushadhi component.

Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP)

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the implementation of the Centrally sponsored Scheme on ‘Livestock Health and Disease Control’ in 2003. 
• LHDCP scheme targets the following diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Classical Swine Fever (CSF), Lumpy Skin Disease, etc.
• Mobile Veterinary Units (MVUs) will be provided for veterinary services to farmers under this scheme, the 1 MVU approximately for one lakh livestock population. 

Key objective of the scheme: 

• To vaccinate 53.5 crore Livestock, including cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and pigs, biannually against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
• To vaccinate 3.9 crore Female Bovine Calves (4-8 months old) annually against Brucellosis.
• To eradicate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) by 2030 by vaccinating all sheep and goats and to control classical Swine Fever (CSF) by vaccinating the entire pig population.

Components of the scheme: The scheme has the following three components – 

1. National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP): It aims to control FMD by 2025 with vaccination and its eventual eradication by 2030.

• Currently, nine states are ready to be declared as FMD-free zones. These states include: Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

2. Livestock Health & Disease Control (LH&DC): It has three sub-components 

• Critical Animal Disease Control Programme (CADCP): It aims to eradicate and control two major diseases, namely Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and Classical Swine Fever (CSF).
• Establishment and Strengthening of existing Veterinary Hospitals and Dispensaries - Mobile Veterinary Unit (ESVHD-MVU): It provides door-step delivery of livestock health care through Mobile Veterinary Units. 
• Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases (ASCAD): Under it funds are released to the state government to control animal diseases by the central government.

3. Pashu Aushadhi:  It is the new component of the scheme, similar to Jan Aushadhi Yojana.

Funding pattern for different components

• The funding pattern is 100% central assistance for NADCP and CADCP.
• Further, the funding pattern is 60:40 between the Centre and State for other components like ASCAD (with 90:10 Centre to State share basis for hilly and North Eastern States and 100% for UTs).