BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to help farmers to take up construction of pigsty under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). A farmer can construct piggery shelter of 21 square metre at a cost of Rs 50,000 for four pigs under the scheme to be executed by the panchayat samiti.
This decision was taken in view of the breakout of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Malkangiri district where more than one hundred kids died within two months. "Although the exact cause of death is being still investigated, one of the possible risk factor is existing pig population, who acts as carrier for JE virus. Unhygienic condition of the pig shed is only one of many problems, for spreading the JE infection to human being through mosquito," said fisheries and animal resources development (FARD) secretary Bishnupada Sethi.
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