Press Conference at Chandigarh held today, news coverage on Zee Punjabi.

VOPunjab · August 21, 2013

By 1 2 1 News Reporter

Chandigarh 21^stAugust:--- The Punjab Government may need to ready itself to grapple with a major agitation. Around 400 Rural Veterinary Officers(RVOs') working in Punjab's 582 Civil Veterinary Hospitals in Rural Areas are bracing up to take on not just the Animal Husbandry department, but even the Punjab Government for what they call regular, consistent and unlawful interference in their affairs by the Animal Husbandry establishment.

According to Dr. Navdeep S. Khinda, President, RVOA that the Animal Husbandry department has systematically misused us by engaging us in their projects and then washing hands off when it comes to financial grants to rural civil vet hospitals, saying that our department is different. Dr. Khinda, adds that they say that we should take funds and other equipment from Zila Parishads." The result of this is that Civil vet hospitals in rural Punjab lack basic infrastructure, furniture, supplies of essential medicines etc. The Rural Vets have therefore decided to boycott the Animal Husbandry department and will now not be part of any of its projects or meetings. The RVOs' will also not give any report or receipt fees to Animal Husbandry department. All RVOs' and officials working under the Rural Development and Panchayats establishment and the associated Zila Parishads will report directly to its department. The doctors said that Animal Husbandry department has been completing its projects with our support and getting huge cash inflows from state, central government and NABARD for development works but has never shown the magnanimity to share funds with Rural Vet Hospitals to improve these hospitals. There is another issue related to RVOs' which has exacerbated the problem. While the RVOs' have been recruited under the Punjab Rural Veterinary Panchayati Raj Act's(Group A) Service Rules, no appointment has been done at either the district or state level. Consequently, the RVOs' demands and needs are not reaching authorities at the state level. What's more, due to this the promotions channel of RVOs' is totally blocked. He further said that RVOA has already taken up the issue with the Rural Development Minister and other top officials but their demand for a separate Directorate has fallen on deaf ears.

According to Dr. Puneet Malhotra, General Secretary, RVOA, "The only solution to all these problems is a separate directorate for RVOs' and vet hospital staff under the rural development and Panchayati Raj Ministry. We are in no mood to give up and we will rest only when our very genuine demand of a separate directorate is met by the Punjab Government."

According to Dr Jiwan Kumar Gupta, Vice President, RVOA, "The non existence of a separate department has been instrumental in us facing problems like delayed salaries, non commencement of service book, non opening of CPF and PRAN accounts, unequal salary levels vis-a-vis districts in accordance with quantum and profile of work etc."

They added that they now plan to meet the Punjab CM, Dy CM and the concerned minister Surjit S. Rakhra with their demands. The veterinary doctors threatened that if their reasonable and logical demand is not acceded to by the Punjab government they will have to take the agitation route. It is noteworthy that to avoid inconvenience to farmers RVOs' are doing Artificial Insemination with AI straws provided by Animal Husbandry department, as Zila Parishads were not having arrangements to store and disperse AI straws. But if by 1^st October 2013 Zila Parishads do not make any arrangements, then RVOs' will have no choice other than boycotting AI and the sole responsibility of loss to farmers will be of department of Rural development and Panchayats. Till now the officers' had only boycotted reporting to the Animal Husbandry department. Also present at the Press meet were Dr G P Singh, Organising Secretary and Dr Abdul Mazid, Patron. Joint Secretaries Dr Nitin Gautam, Dr Mukesh Gupta, Dr Amit Nain, Dr Kirandep Dhillon and Dr Vikas Mehta too were present.