Twenty-three-year old Mohana, one of the beneficiaries of the State government's free cattle scheme at Poorigamaanimitta village in Tirupattur panchayat union, expressed her gratitude to the government by taking proper care of the cattle and supplying 10 litres of milk each day to the Aavin milk cooperative society. This, in fact, brought the District Collector to her house in this small village and she fetched a shield in a gesture of appreciation and encouragement to keep up the good work.

As her home was surrounded by curious villagers, it was a proud moment for Mohana as she received a shield from Collector Ajay Yadav, who asked her to keep up the good work and insisted that the milk be supplied to Aavin and not to private vendors.

Her husband, Veeramani, who is visually challenged, re-canes chairs for a livelihood. “I earn about Rs. 2,000 by re-caning chairs at Tirupattur. After my wife received the cattle under the government scheme in January, we are getting Rs. 1,000 a month. This additional income is helping our family to an extent,” he said. On consuming good feed, the cow yielded 10 litres of milk per day, he said, adding, “We are supplying the milk to Aavin and not to private vendors. Getting this reward from the Collector is definitely a source of encouragement to do even better.”

Sampathrani, another beneficiary of the scheme at Subbamangalam village, also received the shield from the Collector. She said the additional income obtained from supplying milk to Aavin was of help to her family.

“We spend at least Rs. 100 to Rs. 150 a day on cattle feed. Aavin is procuring milk for Rs. 17.50 per litre. So, we get Rs. 1,000 as income every month,” she said. Her husband, Govindan, was a carpenter.

S. Mohandas, Assistant Director, Department of Animal Husbandry, Tirupattur, said there were 650 beneficiaries under the free cattle scheme in Tirupattur division. “Two beneficiaries have received shields for good performance till now. At least 130 animals were yielding more than 10 litres of milk a day. If cattle feed is given properly, the cow yields more milk. Aavin is supplying the concentrate for the feed,” he said.

“This shield is given to encourage the beneficiaries to take proper care of the cattle and also motivate other beneficiaries to do well,” he added.