NC Govt’s negligence costing J&K farmers their precious cattle: Dr. Devinder Manyal

• BJP slams Omar govt for failure to procure effective LSD vaccine despite repeated advisories

JAMMU: J&K BJP senior leader and MLA Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal launched a scathing attack on the NC-led Jammu & Kashmir Government for its administrative negligence and failure to protect the livestock of farmers from the deadly Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), asserting that the loss of precious cattle is not merely an animal-health issue but a serious economic blow to thousands of farming families across Jammu province.

Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal addressed a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, accompanied by MLA Mohan Lal and MLA Dr. Sunil Bhardwaj. J&K BJP Media Incharge Dr. Pardeep Mahotra and SC Morcha President Dharminder Kumar were also present.

Dr. Manyal said the NC Government had been repeatedly apprised of the spread and severity of Lumpy Skin Disease, yet failed to take timely and effective preventive measures. He said that the administration’s failure to ensure the availability of the appropriate vaccine has resulted in the loss of hundreds of cattle, leaving poor farmers to bear an unbearable financial burden.

He said LSD emerged as an epidemic during 2021-22, when Goat Pox Vaccine (GPV) was used as a control measure. However, India subsequently developed an indigenous LSD-specific vaccine for cattle. The Homologous Live Attenuated Lumpy Skin Disease (LA-LSD) vaccine was recommended for use following the requisite regulatory approvals, providing a more targeted preventive measure against the disease.

Dr. Manyal said that the Union Government recommended the LSD-specific vaccine in place of GPV, particularly in view of the latter’s comparatively poor effectiveness against LSD. He further pointed out that the Vice-Chancellor of SKUAST-Jammu had, in May 2026, requested the J&K Government to switch from GPV to the LSD-specific vaccine.

“Despite these clear advisories and the expert recommendation from SKUAST-Jammu, the J&K Government failed to make adequate budgetary provision for procuring the required LSD vaccine. This is not a case of lack of information, it is a case of administrative indifference,” Dr. Manyal asserted.

He said the disease has now affected several districts, including Jammu, Kathua and Samba, with farmers facing the devastating loss of cattle. A productive cattle animal can be worth up to 1 lakh rupees, he said, meaning every death can wipe out a substantial portion of a poor farmer’s savings and livelihood.

Dr. Manyal questioned why the Animal Husbandry Department failed to act proactively despite repeated warnings and visible deaths of livestock. He said the Government must immediately wake up from its “deep slumber”, allocate a dedicated budget for the effective LSD vaccine and launch an urgent vaccination and disease-control drive across affected and vulnerable areas.

“The cattle of a farmer is not just an animal, it is his livelihood, his savings and often the economic security of his entire family. The NC Government cannot remain a mute spectator while farmers suffer losses that could have been prevented through timely intervention,” he said.

Dr. Manyal further claimed that J&K remains among the exceptions, with other States and Union Territories having moved towards adoption of the LSD-specific vaccine, and demanded that the Government immediately explain its failure to act.

He warned that continued inaction could turn the present outbreak into a larger livestock and rural-economic crisis and demanded immediate vaccination, disease surveillance, veterinary intervention and financial support for affected farmers. “Farmers cannot be made to pay the price for the Government’s administrative failure. The NC Government must act now, not after more cattle are lost,” Dr. Manyal said.