 Shri Sharad Pawar
President, Nationalist Congress Party. 
1. It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all to this meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee to discuss ‘Strategy to prevent, control and contain Avian Influenza’. 2. India has experienced repeated outbreaks of Avian Influenza since February, 2006 when it first appeared in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Since then, the disease has recurred in eastern and north eastern parts of the country. The latest outbreak occurred in mid-January, 2010 in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. Immediate steps have been taken to restric the disease to only two neighbouring blocks of Khargram and Burwan in the affected district of Murshidabad. The rest of West Bengal has remained free of the infection. 3. The strategy followed by the Government of India to tackle various episodes of Avian Influenza has been to stamp out the disease at the animal level. Birds within a radius of three kilometers of the epicenter of the outbreak are culled. Unfortunately, about 66 lakh birds had to be culled in various control and containment operations undertaken since the very first outbreak. The Government of India pays immediate compensation for the birds culled. The rates of compensation are fixed in consultation with representatives of the selected states and are reviewed from time to time. A large part of the poultry population in the country is reared by poor people in their backyards. Hence, culling of poultry causes much economic hardship. 4. Poultry rearing is an important economic activity in the country. India has a poultry population of 489 million and produces 56 billion eggs per annum. The country is third largest producer of eggs in the world. The poultry industry is also emerging as an important source of exports. From just Rs. 11 crore in 1993-94, the exports of poultry and poultry products touched Rs. 422 crores in 2008-09. Naturally repeated outbreaks of Avian Influenza affect our exports. 5. As a result of the media attention received by Avian Influenza, poultry production and prices of poultry products decline in not only the affected area but also the rest of the country. It is not only the people engaged in poultry industry who suffer on account of the disease; losses are also suffered by associate industries having backward and forward linkages with the poultry industry. It affects three million people who are reportedly engaged, directly or indirectly, in the poultry related business. 6. There are a number of factors which make India particularly vulnerable to Avian Influenza. These will be explained during the presentation. 7. Most of India’s neighbours are frequently affected by Avian Influenza. States sharing a common border with Bangladesh remain particularly at risk. We must recognize the fact that so long as Bangladesh remains in the grip of the disease, India will also be affected. 8. I believe that Avian Influenza is a regional problem and requires a regional approach. We have offered to assist the neighbouring countries in testing samples and also to train their technical manpower in diagnostic techniques. A beginning in this regard has already been made and three scientists from Bangladesh received training at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal few months back. 9. The Government of India is determined to take all necessary measures to prevent Avian Influenza. In this connection, a comprehensive programme of surveillance against the disease has been undertaken. Significant steps have been taken to upgrade the laboratory infrastructure. 10. Hon’ble members, the country must put in place a variety of measures and continue to exercise vigil on a sustained basis to prevent further outbreaks. Whenever it occurs we must act to control and contain it quickly. We would be happy to hear your suggestions in this regard and also provide any information or clarification that the hon’ble Members may require.Thank you |
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