Fisheries Minister Nilkant Halarnkar informed the Assembly that the government is taking serious steps to curb bull fishing. He said meetings have been held with the Coastal Police and Indian Coast Guard to tackle the issue. The department will now deploy drones to monitor illegal bull fishing activities. Additionally, dedicated offices will be set up at all jetties to allow fishermen to register complaints related to bull fishing directly. Regarding Animal Husbandry portfolio, Halarnkar informed that local bodies are mandated to sterilize stray dogs, and to support this, the government has launched a scheme providing grants for sterilization and rescue operations. Halarnkar also announced that civil work for the Goa College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Curti-Ponda is in progress, with an estimated cost of ₹30 crore. Additionally, two ultrasound machines and two X-ray machines have been procured and installed at the Tonca and Sonsodo veterinary hospitals, respectively, at a total cost of ₹87.86 lakh.
