Dalits, major beneficiaries of free goats/sheep scheme

The implementation of schemes involving the distribution of goats/sheep and milch cows has thrown up several interesting social indicators to the pleasant surprise of authorities.

One of the flagship schemes of the present government is to provide goats/sheep and milch cows free to the rural poor. While the distribution of goats/sheep is being done in all districts barring Chennai, the scheme for the cows is implemented in 21 milk deficient districts.

Last year, one lakh women beneficiaries were covered under the goats/sheep scheme and 12,000 under the cows scheme. During 2012-2013, the respective figures are 1.5 lakh and 12,000.

Against the norm that 30 per cent of beneficiaries should belong to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, the coverage has been around 41 per cent. Against the total target of one lakh beneficiaries for goats/sheep during 2011-2012, 41,902 beneficiaries were SC/STs, of whom SCs accounted for 39,841.

Similarly, in the case of milch cows, against the targeted 12,000 beneficiaries, 4,874 were SC/STs, of whom 4,756 were SCs, according to sources in the Animal Husbandry Department.

As for goats/sheep scheme, around 52 per cent of beneficiaries in Nagapattinam district are from SCs, while the district has nearly 30 per cent SC population as per the 2001 census.

Villupuram, another district having a high presence of the SC population (about 27 per cent), accounts for 37 per cent of beneficiaries. About one-third of beneficiaries in Dharmapuri, which has about 15 per cent SC population, is from the SCs. Against the SCs' share of one-fifth of the total Dindigul population, the community accounts for about 41 per cent of beneficiaries in the district.

In respect of STs, their share in the Villupuram population is about 2.1 per cent whereas 4.4 per cent of the beneficiaries is from the community. Likewise, in Namakkal having 3.4 per cent ST population, about 3.7 per cent of the beneficiaries belongs to the STs.

A similar trend can be seen in the case of distribution of milch cows too. For instance, 53.4 per cent of beneficiaries in Cuddalore is SCs against the community's share of 28 per cent in the overall district population.

In Namakkal, the community accounts for 72 per cent of the beneficiaries. About 46 per cent of the beneficiaries in Thanjavur belongs to the SCs, who constitute 18 per cent of the population in the district. Around one-third of the beneficiaries in Virudhunagar are from the community. A large number of widows and destitute women have also benefited. As many as 25,159 widows and destitute have been chosen under the scheme of goats/sheep distribution, representing about 25 per cent of the total number of beneficiaries. In the case of the milch cow scheme, this segment accounts for 2,056, about 17 per cent of the overall beneficiaries.

Similarly, 1,774 differently abled persons have been given goats/sheep and 181 such persons milch cows.

In respect of transgenders, 35 such persons have benefited under the goats/sheep scheme and four persons under the cows scheme.

An official says the department has put in a mechanism wherein all beneficiaries are monitored unobtrusively after being given the animals. At periodical intervals, de-worming and vaccination are being administered.

FREE DISTRIBUTION OF GOATS/SHEEPS AND MILCH COWS: SOCIAL INDICATORS OF BENEFICIARIES IN SELECT DISTRICT
Goats/Sheeps						Milch Cows
District	SC	ST	Wid	Dest	DA	SC	ST	Wid	Dest	DA
Villupuram	2449	291	568	1046	45	490	13	125	152	12
Cuddalore	1815	43	642	126	408	481	2	79	26	88
Dindigul	1658	22	1103	220	42	59	13	44	15	2
Nagapattinam	1630	2	1506	142	141	339	---	236	28	25
Thanjavur	1515	---	1196	217	57	277	---	95	9	3
Namakkal	1406	107	438	101	41	72	---	14	4	4
Virudhunagar	1216	---	464	67	19	176	---	55	15	3
Dharmapuri	1064	102	582	192	---	35	---	18	6	---
Note: SC: Scheduled Castes, ST: Scheduled Tribes, Wid: Widows, Dest: Destitute, DA: Differently Abled