The State Government has decided to take up construction of pig shelters under the MGNREGS. Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department Secretary Bishnupada Sethi had proposed construction of piggery shelters under the MGNREGS in individual lands to provide livelihood support to rural poor. The initiative would also improve the health status of pigs for better productivity and reduce the spreading of the vector-borne disease Japanese Encephalitis (JE) from pigs. Accordingly, the Panchayati Raj Department has issued instruction to all district Collectors in this regard. The State is currently witnessing JE outbreak in Malkangiri district, where about 120 children have died. Although the exact cause of the death is being still investigated, one of the possible risk factors is the pig population, which acts as a carrier for the JE virus. Unhygienic condition of the pig sheds is only one of many problems for spreading the JE infection to human being through mosquito. The isolation of pigs on the outskirts of the JE-affected villages has affected the farmers’ livelihood to a great extent in Malkangiri. A piggery shelter with 21 square meter at a cost of `50,000 for a small unit of four pigs (three female and one male) would be constructed. The scheme would be executed by panchayat samitis as per the norms of the MGNREGS. The beneficiary shall be a job card holder, and selection would be made as per the MGNREGS norms. It is viewed that such a scheme would assist the marginalised sections of the society for construction of good pigsties for maintaining the animals in a healthy condition to derive higher income from pig farming.