The Centre has asked States and Union Territories to commence the process of carrying out the next edition of national livestock census from October 1, an official release said here on Friday.

The 20th Livestock Census, delayed almost by a year, assumes significance because it was the first-ever enumeration of domestic animals since the Narendra Modi government came to power in May 2014. The period also witnessed a series of unpopular decisions such as restriction of cattle trade in the country, apart from more than two dozen lynching of people who have been ferrying cattle from one place to another. These measures had an adverse impact on cattle trade in the country, with most livestock markets reporting significant drop in cattle prices. The last livestock census was in 2012.

According to the statement, the 20th Livestock Census would, for the first time, capture breed-wise headcount of livestock and poultry as it would help identify threatened indigenous breeds and help initiate steps for their conservation. Besides, tablets and computers would be used for digitally capturing the data. The National Informatics Centre has already developed a mobile app software which can help transfer the data online, it said.

The Livestock Census has been conducted in the country periodically since 1919-20. The Livestock Census usually covers all domesticated animals and headcounts of those animals will be carried out during a specific time period. The census is carried out in all districts in the country with the participation of States and Union Territories.

The exercise would also cover fisheries. The latest data on fishermen folk available in the country is from the 17th Livestock Census conducted in 2003. Therefore, it is important to the information on fishermen families and infrastructure available for both inland and marine fisheries sector.

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