A year after announcing the ban on killing of cow progeny, the Maharashtra government launched a scheme to provide shelters to non-lactating and unproductive cattle.
A year after announcing the ban on killing of cow progeny, the Maharashtra government launched a scheme to provide shelters to non-lactating and unproductive cattle. It said '1 crore would be given to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or organisations willing to set up a cow shelter for one time.
“I am proposing a new scheme ‘Govardhan Govansh Raksha Kendra’ to be established in 34 rural districts of Maharashtra for rearing of non-lactating and unproductive cattle breed with the participation of NGOs and a one time grant of Rs 1 crore will be provided for this project. During the year 2016-17 an outlay of Rs 34 crore is proposed for Govardhan Govansh Raksha Kendra,” finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said in his budget speech.
The decision of banning the killing of bull and bullocks had attracted lot of flak from farmers, who were unable to keep non-productive animals in the wake of the drought situation that has been seen in the state. Despite promising to open cow shelters, the government took a year to announce the actual scheme.
In another scheme for the animal husbandry department, the Maharashtra government has said Bull Mother Farms would be opened.
“With the objective of rearing and conservation of local indigenous breed of cattle, Bull Mother Farms at two places in the state namely, Hettikunti in the Wardha district and Boad in the Amaravati district respectively will be modernised and renovated. For this scheme, an outlay of Rs 18.61 crore has been proposed,” Mr Mungantiwar said.
