Uttarakhand, on Wednesday, became the first state in the country to officially pass a resolution to declare cow as Rashtra Mata or mother of the nation, PTI reported.
The resolution that was passed by the state Assembly will now be tabled before the Union government for its approval, as per reports.
WHAT WE KNOW
The resolution in the assembly was put forward by state minister of animal husbandry, Rekha Arya, who claimed that the resolution will ensure safety of cows across the country.
“The last BJP government made Uttarakhand Protection of Cow Progeny Act, banning cow slaughter in the state,” Hindustan Times reported quoting Arya. “This time we want to ban cow killing in the country,” the report added.
“The cow is treated as an incarnation of motherhood. The cow’s milk is scientifically considered the best for newborn after his mother’s milk.”Rekha Arya, State Minister of Animal Husbandry
The resolution was supported by the state Congress chief Pritam Singh while former Mayor of Dehradun, Vinod Chamoli said that it is time to ensure cow protection, The Times of India reported.
IN DETAILS
The resolution was, however, questioned by the leader of opposition Indira Hridayesh who sought answers about the deaths of cows in cow shelters.
“We all respect cow, but I fail to understand what message the BJP wants to give by declaring the animal as ‘Rashtra Mata’. Cowsheds across the state are in poor condition and the animals are deserted once old.”Indira Hridayesh, Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly
Responding to Hridayesh claims, R Meenakshi Sundaram, secretary animal husbandry said that the state government will initiate financial aid for cow shelters in order to reduce the number of stray bovines, the Hindustan Times reported. She also added:
“Nearly 75 percent of the abandoned bovines are male. Last month, we started production of sex sorted semen with the help of Inguran Sexing Technology under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission. This is going to help in reducing the population of stray bovine.”R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary, Animal Husbandry Ministry
(With inputs from PTI, The Times of India and Hindustan Times)
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