Patna: Rural women in Bihar are set to take on a new role as ‘Sudha Sakhis’, helping livestock owners with basic animal healthcare and scientific dairy farming while creating livelihood opportunities for themselves. The Bihar State Milk Co-operative Federation Ltd (Comfed) has launched the initiative to strengthen women’s participation in milk production and make them the first point of contact between livestock farmers and veterinary services. The programme aims to extend the network of Sudha Sakhis to all 8,053 panchayats in the state by next year.Under the first phase, women selected from all 38 districts underwent a six-day residential training programme at Comfed’s Patna auditorium from Aug 31 to Sept 5. They were trained in basic veterinary first aid, balanced animal nutrition, artificial insemination and scientific livestock management.After completing the training, the women are expected to work at the village level, helping livestock owners access information and connect with veterinary professionals. The initiative is expected to improve access to primary animal healthcare, promote better livestock management and support higher milk production.According to the dairy, fisheries and animal resources department, Sudha Sakhis will not be regular or contractual govt or cooperative employees. Instead, they will work as local service providers under a commission or incentive-based arrangement, offering them a potential source of income while strengthening rural dairy services.The initiative is part of the ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’ programme under the state govt’s Saat Nischay-3 programme. Chief minister Samrat Choudhary has recently reviewed efforts to increase women’s participation in the animal resources and dairy sectors.Around 12 lakh farmers are currently associated with milk production in Bihar, and the govt aims to increase this number to more than 50 lakh. Women are expected to be linked to the sector through Sudha Sakhis, Jeevika-run Sudha sales outlets and milk collection centres.While women account for around 70% of participation in the dairy sector nationally, Bihar aims to raise their share to 80%.Under the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme, women setting up Sudha sales outlets are being provided assistance totalling around Rs 60,000 through instalments. One woman will be selected through a lottery to operate a Sudha sales outlet in each panchayat, with plans to expand the network to villages in the future.
