Telangana Launches Sheep and Goat Insurance Scheme to Shield Shepherds
Telangana is expanding insurance support for sheep and goat owners, offering financial protection against livestock losses.
Telangana Sheep, Goat Insurance Scheme: Key Details
Telangana: Telangana’s animal husbandry minister Vakati Srihari on Saturday launched a new sheep and goat insurance scheme for the state’s shepherd community, releasing a poster marking the rollout at a general body meeting of the Karimnagar District Sheep Growers’ Cooperative Association held at Indira Bhavan in Karimnagar.
Speaking at the event, which was also attended by transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar along with local MLAs and cooperative members, Srihari said the state government remained committed to the social, political and financial development of the shepherd community and would introduce further welfare schemes in the coming months.
Telangana: Shepherds to Pay ₹13 Premium Per Sheep and Goat
Under the newly launched scheme, shepherds will be required to pay a premium of just ₹13 per sheep or goat, with the state government subsidising the remaining cost of the cover. Srihari said the scheme was designed to address a long-standing pain point for the community: shepherds routinely move their flocks across districts and states in search of grazing land for months at a stretch, exposing the animals to a heightened risk of death, theft or disease along the way. The insurance cover, he said, would give shepherds a financial safety net against exactly this kind of loss.
Sheep and goat insurance is not new to India’s rural insurance landscape — standard livestock policies typically indemnify owners against the death of animals aged four months to seven years, covering causes ranging from accidents, fire and natural calamities to disease, with the sum insured pegged to the animal’s assessed market value. Telangana’s move adds the state to a growing list of governments, including Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, that have rolled out subsidised livestock insurance cover in recent years to protect pastoral communities from catastrophic financial loss.
Telangana – Minister Flags Hyderabad’s Reliance on Sheep Imports From Other States
Srihari also used the occasion to flag a supply-side concern: thousands of sheep from other states are brought into Hyderabad for sale every Saturday to meet local demand, he said, and called on shepherds in the state to scale up sheep rearing so that Telangana’s own requirements could be met domestically rather than through inter-state imports.
On the question of farmer debt, the minister said he would take steps toward waiving loans taken by shepherds, and reiterated that the government would roll out additional welfare measures for the community, to be implemented with vigilance mechanisms in place to prevent irregularities in disbursal.
Telangana: Transport Minister Raises Pension Demand for Caste Artisans
Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar, who also addressed the gathering, said the state government was committed to the welfare of weaker sections and caste-based artisan communities. He noted that there had been a demand to extend pensions to caste artisans from the age of 55, and said he would take up the proposal with the government for consideration.
The meeting was organised by the Karimnagar District Sheep Growers’ Cooperative Association as part of its general body proceedings.
