LAHORE – The Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Board (PLDDB) is celebrating the achievement of second milestone in its journey to train 4,000 rural youth as Artificial Insemination Assistants (AIAs) and Women Livestock Extension Workers (WLEWs).
‘Second batch of 200 AIAs and 200 WLEWs will be awarded certificates on completion of extensive training in their related fields at a ceremony to be held on Monday (tomorrow). Punjab Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh will chair this function while Steering Committee on Livestock Chairman Muhammad Arshad Jutt will be the guest of honour,’ said PLDDB CEO Maj Gen (r) Muhammad Ali Khan at a meeting held to review arrangements of the ceremony, says a press release issued here on Saturday.
Khan said that the Board had trained 286 AIAs so far and same number of WLEWs. Out of these, 105 trained AIAs had performed more than 9,950 artificial inseminations along with tagging performed in two months record time. The WLEWs trained in first phase had also started functioning and they had sold 20 metric tons of balanced ration (vanda) during one month’s field activities. 200 ‘Livestock Resource Centres’ established and managed by the AIAs and the WLEWs have become a symbol of livestock development being carried out by the Board on the directions of the Punjab government and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the PLDDB CEO added.
Speaking on this occasion, PLDDB General Manager (Field Services and Capacity Building) said those who have been trained by the Board as the AIAs would be earning Rs15,000 per month while the WLEWs around Rs8,000 per month.