Murghi Paal Scheme Partially Restored After Protests and Funding Cuts

The federal government has partially revived the ‘Murghi Paal’ initiative, which was started by the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, following citizen and Poultry Research Institute concerns. The initiative was halted, and reports claim that funding for the project has been reduced by 70 percent.

As per reports, 50 percent of the funding was released in the continuing budget on 1 July 2022, however, the project was canceled, and the released resources were revoked in January 2023.

The Poultry Research Institute withdrew the cash and filed a protest letter, stating that returning the funds would not only harm their investments in the project but would also result in a significant loss to the state treasury.

Additionally, residents who submitted cash with their applications demanded poultry instead of money, and several threatened to sue. It was agreed to partly restart the initiative after negotiations between Punjab and the federal government.

The restoration plan was accepted by the federal government with additional cuts to the project cost, and funds have been provided to the Poultry Research Institute.

Dr. Atif, the project’s in-charge in Rawalpindi, verified that breeding activities in Punjab’s 11 poultry farms had restarted. The first round of chicks will be handed to people on 15 May, followed by the second and final batch on 15 June.

The original intention was to give 0.5 million chicks between February and June, however, this objective was decreased to 0.3 million chicks after a funding reduction. The fowl is a hybrid of indigenous and pure breeds, as well as hybrids of indigenous and Egyptian breeds. A group of five chickens and one rooster would cost Rs. 1,180.