Ludhiana: Animal husbandry minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian Tuesday flagged off an advanced dual-mode refrigerated cold van at the Punjab Veterinary Vaccine Institute (PVVI) in Ludhiana, a move aimed at strengthening livestock disease control and ensuring safe transportation of veterinary vaccines across the state.Officials said the high-tech vehicle, with a carrying capacity of 4.5 lakh vaccine doses, will help maintain an uninterrupted cold chain and preserve vaccine efficacy during transit.Khuddian said the state govt was modernising the veterinary healthcare system to better protect livestock from infectious diseases. The van has been designed to maintain a temperature between 2°C and 8°C, ensuring the quality and effectiveness of vaccines during transportation from the institute to districts across Punjab.“The financial security of farmers is directly linked to the health of their livestock. This advanced cold van is an important step towards strengthening veterinary healthcare infrastructure and ensuring safe delivery of vaccines,” the minister said.Deputy director of PVVI, Dr Jagdeep Singh Khaira, said the vehicle is equipped with a hybrid cooling system that can operate on both external power supply and engine power, ensuring uninterrupted refrigeration. He said vaccination is carried out round the year, with particular emphasis before the monsoon season when the risk of disease outbreaks increases.Appealing to livestock owners to cooperate with vaccination drives, Khaira urged farmers to get their animals vaccinated when departmental teams visit their areas.Officials said the strengthened cold-chain infrastructure would support vaccination campaigns against diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS), brucellosis, classical swine fever, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and lumpy skin disease.Director, animal husbandry department, Dr Paramdeep Singh Walia, said the van addresses a long-pending requirement for continuous cold-chain transportation. He added that improved vaccine delivery would help reduce animal mortality, improve livestock productivity and ultimately enhance farmers’ incomes.
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