The veterinary profession in central India got a boost when Shri Daulat Ram , the then Agriculture Minister of Government of India inaugurated CP AND BARAR COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SCIENCE at Jabalpur on 8th June 1948. This college was imparting degree and first was affiliated to Agra University, then to Sagar University; when Jabalpur University (Presently Rani Durgavati vishwa vidyalaya) came in existence in 1956 , the college was affiliated to this University. This period also witnessed a change due to re organization of the states and creation of Madhya Pradesh as a separate state on 1st Nov.1956 (Chhattisgarh was part of this state till 1Nov 2001)..
During that time, there was acute shortage of Veterinarians in the area and students were attracted to this field by awarding scholarship to all the students so that talented students but with with poor background may join this college. Again, looking to the shortage , the examinations were conducted every six months giving chance to the students to clear his subjects in every examination though March-April examination was considered final examination and subsequent examinations as supplementary examination. The shortage of the Veterinary staff in the state was so much that once a student appeared in final year examination i.e. 4th Year, if he fails in one or many subjects , he was posted as sub VAS in a veterinary dispensary and given title of VAS to join a Veterinary hospital and pay after clearing all the subjects . The process was continued till 1964 and was discontinued afterwords. This also reflects that at that time College was part and parcel of Animal Husbandry department hence there was frequent transfers between field and college. But it must be remembered that at that time, it was purely a teaching college with no emphasis on research which was mainly confined to IVRI,Bareilly
With the creation of Jawaharlal Nehru krishi vishwa vidyalaya on 2nd Oct 1964, this college, along with Mhow Veterinary college, became a constituent college of Agriculture University with separating of field and college staff and emphasis on research and extension ,along with teaching..
As these agricultural universities were created in India on American land grand pattern, an attempt was made to separate veterinary science and Animal Husbandry at Pantnagar and Hisar .First this was in allotting animal husbandry courses like animal nutrition , genetics to Agriculture post graduate students and then by opening a separate college of Animal Sciences at Pantnagar and Hisar. Here qualifications of faculty and students were not necessarily BVSc and other persons ,specializing in the subject, were also appointed in the faculty as well as for admission. Thus batches of students came out who were not holding degree of BVSc but were mustered in Animal nutrition or genetics etc.This was done on American pattern where the department was also having two posts with different qualifications- one of Veterinary Medicine and other for Animal sciences.However, India, being a developing country with short of funds, refused to create to different posts and made it compulsory to hold a BVSc prior appointing any person in the department so that he may be transferred at any place according to will of the government.
However, this also caused shortage of the veterinary profession in the country. To cope up with the shortage new veterinary colleges were opened and Rewa became third veterinary college in the state to train students in veterinary profession. One reason for shortage of veterinary colleges may be little interest of private organizations due to exorbitant cost of opening a veterinary college ,in comparison to a medical college. Moreover, there is more money to a medical graduate who is ready to spend more money hence the private persons prefer to start a medical college instead of a veterinary college.This situation may suggest an acute shortage of veterinary profession in the state and students should be absorbed in the department , immediately after graduation.However, it is not so, and we have witnessed strikes by the students to provide job by the government. This is the condition when the capacity of admission of students in each college is not more than 100 seats and hardly 200 students clear their professional examination every year.
So now we have come to a crucial point of discussion .What is the present position of human resources in our state and how much we will need each year in different fields.
Prior discussing this point, we will like to attract two more developments. The first was creation of Veterinary Council of India by passing a resolution in 1985 in Parliament at New Delhi and creation of State Veterinary council ,afterwards. Thus Bhopal is having a state veterinary council which is suppost to maintain record of all the registered veterinarians.. But here also those who have retired from their active services and are not doing any veterinary services, are not interested to register in the council. Therefore ,it is difficult to assume the correct position of the veterinarians in each state. Perhaps we do not have data of human resources in veterinary profession in each state and we have to depend on central organization for this. It may not be out of place to mention that I have posted on my face book to know the number of teachers, veterinarians in hospitals etc and failed to get such information.
Another fact, one has to remember is expansion of veterinary services . Till recently , it was confined to veterinary colleges, livestock farms , now the services have been extended to zoo and wild life, defences, pharmaceuticals,Gaushala,training centres and many other fields. Even then we do not have any organization who can publish the data each year .
In recent years, a NATIONAL ACADEMY OF VETERINARY SCIENCES (NAVS) have been made operational which is supposed to be torch bearer of veterinary profession in the country.This NAVS has published in August,2015, a booklet on "Human resource needs in Veterinary and Animal sciences ".. According to this booklet, the available manpower in livestock section in India is as follws : Field veterinarians (including private practicioners 34,500 ;teaching and research3050;ICAR and other scientific organizations 2850; poultry secotr 2050; pharmaceuticals 250;;feedindustries 200,zoo and wild animals 50 ;livestock farms 500; banking and insurance 100; defence establishment 400 .It must be emphasised that except a few numbers, most of above numbers are approximate. Again , there is production of approximate 2400 veterinarians ,including BVSC, MVSC and Ph.D.per year in the country.So we do not have any organization which monitor correctly our needs and those we are losing per year.
It will be interesting to note that this NAVS has anticipated the need of about 1,25,000 veterinarians for different services by the year 2035.
These minuscule figures can not be compared with other professions like medicos, chartered accountants, Engineers who figures in lakhs and have a say in policy decision of the government . If we want to establish veterinary profession in the country as a self sufficient profession, we have to discuss different policies and plants on different forums , than only this profession may attain a respectable position in the country.
