Animal fairs banned in Rajasthan after cattle die of lumpy virus

Jaipur, Aug 11: With over 12,800 cattle deaths due to a skin infection caused by Lumpy virus in Rajasthan, the state government has banned holding of animal fairs.

Out of the total cattle deaths reported in the state till August 10, a maximum of 2,511 deaths have been reported in Sri Ganganagar followed by 1,619 in Barmer, 1,581 in Jodhpur, 1,156 in Bikaner, 1,150 in Jalore and 1,138 in Jalore, news agency PTI reported.

"Situation in completely under control. All efforts are being made to control the disease spread. Most of the deaths have occurred in five districts and the situation in other districts of the state is under control," Secretary, Animal Husbandry Department P C Kishan said.

According to the Department, a total of 2,81,484 animals have been affected due to the disease and 2,41,685 animals have been treated.

Considering the spread of the disease in the state, the state government has banned organising animal fairs in Rajasthan, an official statement said.

The state government has also issued directions for safe disposal of carcasses.

As part of measures to tackle the situation, the Rajasthan government has given approval to recruit temporary staff on 500 posts at the earliest. These include 200 veterinarians and 300 livestock assistants.

Animal Husbandry Department Minister Lal Chand Kataria said the respective district in-charge ministers have been asked to monitor the situation.