In a bid to equip villages with clean cooking fuel, hygienic environment and healthier animals, the Gujarat government has begun building 'animal hostels' to rear cattle on community basis.

"The animal husbandry and dairy industry contributes Rs 14,733 crore which is 4.8 per cent of total domestic production in Gujarat. Due to the government's animal health services and breeding facilities, the production through animal husbandry has increased over the years ," State Agriculture and Fisheries minister Dilip Sanghani said.

Animals play an important role in the rural economy and the government has started building community-based facilities in villages where animals can be kept, and its excreta used to generate bio-fuel, he said.

"The state government has undertaken construction of what we call animal hostels, a community-based facility, where nearly 1000 milch animals from a village could be kept," the minister said.

This will ensure that the villages and individual homes remain clean as the cattle would be kept at a central location for the entire village. The excreta would then be collected and used for generating bio-gas, Sanghani said.

"As the excreta would be used for bio-gas plant, less of methane gas would be released in atmosphere, making the environment clean and green. Further, the slurry from the bio-gas plant could be used in vermi-compost pits to generate good quality organic manure for the fields," he said.

Also, to ensure that the health of the animals is maintained the government was running nine veterinary hospitals, 119 animal clinics. Besides, there are 55 mobile units which move from village to village, he added.

There were also two animal research centres in the state to provide animal care on basis of scientific methods, Sanghani said, adding that nearly over 14,000 animal health camps have been organised in last five years which has benefited 57 lakh cattle across the state.

Sanghani said Gujarat's cattle stock was 235.25 lakh as per the cattle census of 2007, which includes 79.76 lakh cows, 87.74 lakh buffaloes and 20.02 lakh sheep.

The minister said for better breeding of cattle, a frozen semen centre has been set up in Patan district.

This year 100 breeding centres would be set up in Saurashtra region to get Gir breed of cows which are of superior variety, he said.