Tuesday, 4 February, 2025 6:15 pm
The ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research (ICAR-DPR) is actively implementing the DAPSC programme across various villages in Tamil Nadu. As part of this initiative, on January 29, 2025, a team of scientists from the Directorate visited Pazhayanur village (Maduranthakam block) and Villipakkam village (Chittamur block) in Chengalpattu district, identifying 50 Scheduled Caste (SC) families in each village as beneficiaries. Similarly, on January 30, 2025, the team visited Keezaparuthikudi village (Komaratchi block) in Cuddalore district and selected 100 SC families under the scheme.
During the visits, beneficiaries were introduced to the DAPSC scheme of ICAR-DPR and the organization’s contributions to the development of improved backyard chicken varieties such as Vanaraja, Gramapriya, Srinidhi, etc. Scientific knowledge on backyard poultry rearing, brooding management, nutrition, and health care was shared to the beneficiaries. The adverse effects of protein and micronutrient deficiencies on the health, emphasizing the importance of consuming eggs and meat to enhance nutritional status and boost immunity were explained.
To ensure the safety of poultry from predators and harsh weather conditions, 200 night shelters were distributed to the identified families across the three villages. Dr. A. Kannan, Principle Scientist attended the programme in the villages of Chengalpattu district. Dr. M. Shanmugam, Principle Scientist coordinated the programme. The programme was attended by Panchayat representatives and office bearers of the three villages.