Gau Rakshaks Have Put the $12 Billion Leather Industry in Peril

From the leather industry to makers of Kolhapuri chappals, industries which depend on cows are facing a slump.

Apart from poultry, cows are at the heart of a number of industries.

On 12 July 2016, when four men were thrashed in Gujarat for allegedly smuggling cow leather, they were a part of a larger industry which depends on cow hide for survival. The leather industry is a 12 billion dollar industry which employs 8 lakh Dalit workers. Since December 2015, raw leather supply has been hit by 15%.

The Quint brings to you at a glance, the industries which are dependent on cows, and the jobs at stake in Kanpur and Kolhapur.