Kalinganagar: Driven by the desire to excel as a self-employed, a youth of Danagadi block in Jajpur district shunned a cosy job in a steel plant here and took up goat rearing.
Once a job hunter, Uday Kumar Rout of Balungabandi (Rungurunga) village under Trijanga panchayat, has now become a job provider.
Parbati Goat Farm established by him provides livelihood to 13 persons. Earning a monthly income of `60,000 from his farm, Rout has become an example of sorts for others who wish to take up self-employment.
Appreciating his efforts, the district administration has provided him high quality vaccines, medicines and protein supplements for his livestock.
Rout, who claims to have earned over `7 lakh from his farm in 2015-16, is making efforts to absorb unemployed rural youths in this profitable trade.
Rout started his professional career at Kalinganagar-based Visa Steel at a monthly remuneration of `15,000.
“One fine day, I listened to the call of my heart and went ahead for self-employment instead of struggling with the monotonous corporate life and the polluted ambience of the plant,” he says.
He quit his job in April 2014 and established a goat farm with an investment of `40,000. “During that period, Danagadi community veterinary officer Dr Saroj Kumar Mallick stood by my side and guided me all through my struggles to build a successful farm,” Rout says.
Now, he aims at procuring goats of better breeds from other states and rearing them at his farm. Rout believes this can bring in a change in the livelihood of scores of unemployed people of
his area.
His farm has over 130 goats of 22 breeds and his clientele includes women self-help groups and beneficiaries of Orissa Livelihood Mission and National Mission for Protein Supplements. PNN