The government on Thursday said it is making preparations for the 21st livestock census to be conducted between September and December this year across the country.

The Union Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministry will conduct the livestock census using mobile technology as it will help in further transmitting the data online, it said.

The ministry on Thursday held a sensitization meeting, under the chairmanship of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Alka Upadhyaya, with senior officers of the states and union territories and members of technical committee.

"The 21st Livestock Census is due in 2024 and will be conducted in participation of states/ union territories during the period of September-December 2024," the ministry issued a statement after the meeting.

The enumeration will be done in all villages and urban wards.

Various species of animals (cattle, buffalo, Mithun, yak, sheep, goat, pig, horse, pony, mule, donkey, camel, dog, rabbit and elephant), poultry birds (fowl, duck and other poultry birds) possessed by the households, household enterprises and non-household enterprises will be counted on the site.

Even breed-wise data with their age and sex will also be collected in the 21s livestock census.

India has been conducting the livestock census in every five years since 1919 to get statistics regarding animal husbandry sector. The last livestock census was conducted in 2019.

The livestock census is a massive door-to-door field operation in which data are collected from each and every household taking actual count of domesticate animals and birds to finally asses the total livestock wealth of the nation.

The census is the backbone of policy formulation and for implementation of various programmes in the animal husbandry sector.

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