The Punjab government on Monday instructed Animal Husbandry Department to provide free vaccination to check the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the state and asked farmers to get their cattle vaccinated in the nearest veterinary hospitals. Gulzar Singh Ranike, Minister for Animal Husbandry, said here that the department has launched a drive throughout the state for mass vaccination of cattle and this campaign would continue up to June 20. He, as per an official release, said that the state government was alive to the necessity of checking the outbreak of FMD and therefore decided to fix accountability of erring employees in this case.

“It is for the first time that the FMD vaccination has been brought in the ambit of Right to Service Act (RTS), where every aggrieved citizen has a right to complain to the authorities,” he said. He said it has been mandated that employees must vaccinate the cattle within stipulated time and in the case of lapse as per the provision of RTS every farmers has a right to lodge a complaint with concerned Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) or respected Deputy Commissioners. Ranike said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has issued explicit instructions that the department has to control the outbreak of FMD using all its resources as it was a communicable disease that can spread quickly even with contact.

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