Bird flu confirmed in 9 states for poultry, govt to compensate farmers for losses

New Delhi: The central government on Saturday announced that bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed in 12 states so far, out of which cases have been reported in poultry birds from nine states, while in wild birds from 12 states.

"As on January 23, outbreaks of Avian Influenza have been confirmed in these nine states for poultry birds: Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab," the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in its official statement.

According to the ministry statement, bird flu cases have been reported in 12 states for crow/migratory/wild birds namely, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

However, the statement added that the crow/pigeon samples submitted from Rudraprayag, Lansdowne Forest Range and Paudi Forest Range of Uttarakhand; pigeon samples from Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan; crow and peacock samples from Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh have been found negative for Avian Influenza.

Control and Containment Operations (Cleaning and Disinfection) are going on in the affected epicentres of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Kerala.

The government also assured that compensation is paid to the farmers whose poultry birds, eggs and poultry feed are culled/disposed of by the state as per the action plan. The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) provides funds to states/UTs on a 50:50 sharing basis under ASCAD component of its LH & DC Scheme, said the ministry.