HYDERABAD, July 26: Provincial secretary for livestock and fisheries Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said on Saturday that the department would train 3,200 jobless veterinary, poultry and fisheries workers this year under Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme to enable them to earn livelihood on their own or through public and private sector organisations.

Mr Siddiqui said at a meeting of district officers of livestock, fisheries and poultry development of the province at Shahbaz Building that of 3,200 unemployed youths, 1,600 would be trained in animal husbandry, which included house job to 300 DVM doctors, 300 stock assistants and 1,000 trainees as farm management cadets.

Similarly, the department would train 800 youth in poultry sector, which included 200 poultry doctors, 100 stock assistants and 300 farm management cadets.

Another 800 postgraduates, graduates and undergraduates would be trained in fisheries sector, which included 100 postgraduates, 200 graduates and 500 workers, he said.

He said that the government was in talks with various consultants to get trained manpower absorbed in foreign countries. Applications from interested candidates would be received at their district headquarters by Aug 6, and their interviews would start from Aug 11, he added.

The secretary directed the officers to work hard, be proactive and creative and advised them to get feedback from people to enhance their outreach services.

Animal Husbandry Director Dr Ghulam Sarwar Shaikh, who is also project director of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto programme, said that the nomination of a trainee would be based on quota basis and purely on merit.

The project would produce trained manpower in livestock sector, which would not only fulfil the requirements of the province but also send more than 100 trained workers to overseas countries.

He directed the officers to establish helpline in their offices to guide the breeders and job seekers.

Livestock Director General Dr Ghulam Mohammad Mahar informed the meeting that the department was launching its website and directed the officers to keep baseline survey updated, which was very essential for future development.