New Delhi: The Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh has rolled out a comprehensive plan to promote cattle rearing, protect cows, and expand the role of cattle in the state’s economy and cultural landscape, ThePrint has learnt.
This plan, chalked out by the state dairy development department, involves incorporating cow education and research in school curriculum and procuring ‘gau mutra (cow urine)’ of ‘desi’ cows at Rs 5 per litre for ‘medical research’.
Under its plan for the education sector, the department has asked the Mathura-based Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Veterinary Science University and Cattle Research Institute (DUVASU) to prepare a syllabus for school students. Once it is ready, the department will send it to the education department to introduce it in the curriculum.
Speaking to ThePrint, Dharampal Singh, the state cabinet minister of dairy development, said, “We have chalked out a plan to incorporate cows in education, research, medical and agriculture. If a student learns about the importance of cows from the beginning, they can understand their productivity. Initially, we are planning to introduce it in primary schools. Then we will incorporate it in secondary and higher education.”
“Gaaye per adharit krishi ho, isliye gaaye padhana aavashyak hai (it is important to teach about cows to ensure farmers are dependent on them),” he added.
The minister explained the plan, saying, “Apart from the school curriculum, we are also focussing on research on ‘gobar (cow dung)’ and ‘gau mutra’ of ‘desi’ cows. The new generation should know about the benefits of ‘gau mutra’ of ‘desi’ cows.
“We have talked to a Gujarat-based dairy firm, which has shown an interest in starting their plant in UP. We will purchase ‘gau mutra’ for research at Rs 5 per litre. This ‘gau mutra’ will be useful for research on Ayurvedic medicines and other medical research.”
According to UP government data, the state has sheltered more than 12.43 lakh destitute cows across 7,713 centres. Additionally, the state has approved construction of 543 large cow conservation centres, of which 372 are already functional.
As part of this plan, the government has also decided to raise the maintenance allowance per cow from Rs 30 to Rs 50 per day, said Singh. Adding, “Under the Mukhyamantri Sahbhagita Yojana, 1.05 lakh beneficiaries have taken charge of 1.62 lakh cows. Each beneficiary receives 1,500 per month.”
Dr Amit Shukla, assistant professor at the Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology at DUVASU, welcomed the move. “Value addition in the products obtained from desi cows could enhance the macroeconomics and growth of the farmers,” he said.
Plan for stray cattle
Since the Uttar Pradesh government launched a crackdown against illegal slaughterhouses in the state in March 2017, another issue that has come to light is that of stray cattle.
Such was the severity of the issue that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in December launched a pilot project to set up cattle shelters along National Highways. “NHAI has been facing challenges posed by stray cattle/animal movement on National Highway in several states across the country which is hazardous to road users’ safety,” it said.
The Opposition in the state, too, raised the issue in the Assembly and in public meetings.
In the run-up to the 2022 UP Assembly polls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted several stray cattle videos on his ‘X‘ account. Later in 2023, the central government said it would build a sanctuary for 5,000 cows in Muzaffarnagar as part of a pilot project. The state government allotted 52 hectares at Purkazi for the cow sanctuary, and the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries sanctioned Rs 63 crore.
According to government functionaries, work on the sanctuary had begun, but a full-fledged plan was required to solve the issue of stray cattle. Which is where the new plan came into the picture, after due discussions with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
According to Dharampal Singh, part of the plan is to equip cattle near highways with radium belts to make them visible to drivers at night, in a bid to reduce accidents.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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