The Uttar Pradesh Government has started online registration of cow shelters (gaushalas) and so far 582 Gaushalas have been registered in the state, informed the UP Animal Husbandry Department.
The first of its kind move in UP, it aims to monitor shelter houses to ensure better protection and conservation of cows and stray and abandoned cattle, which has been one of the priority areas of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ever since he took over the reins of the state in 2017.
It is worth mentioning here that stray cattle have been a threat to crops and a major cause of road accidents in Uttar Pradesh.
However, CM Yogi has taken several initiatives, not only to curb accidents and loss of crops due to activities of stray cattle, but also to protect the cattle by building new, big and small shelter homes for them in every district as well as benefitting farmers from the natural fertilisers produced there in terms of increase in yield, and people by making available to them organic food to enhance their immune system.
The Government has selected Bundelkhand for the initiative to promote natural farming through shelter homes for cows. At present, natural manure is being produced at 1,108 animal shelters in the form of cow dung and urine and being provided to the farmers of Bundelkhand to take to natural farming for the production of chemical-free, high-quality, organic food.
Apart from this, under the Chief Minister's destitute Cow Vansh Participation Scheme 1,29,119 cows were provided to the eligible and willing families of malnourished children from various cow shelters in the state until May 22. As per the scheme, the families must have a place to keep cows and should also be willing to take care of them.
Similarly, 2031 malnourished poor families with babies have received 2050 milk cows under the Nutrition Mission of the Government to protect the health of both mothers and infants. The scheme is helping the poor and destitute families with malnourished children to help them look after their kids on the one hand, and to find the cows a home where they are taken good care of, on the other.
Furthermore, the district magistrates are identifying interested farmers/livestock owners and other persons who are ready to raise the destitute cows and providing them with an allowance of Rs/30 per day for the maintenance of the bovine, which is transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries on a monthly basis. The beneficiaries are not allowed to abandon the cattle or sell it at any cost.
The Yogi Government's comprehensive scheme for sheltering cows is helping a large number of poor people, farmers, mothers and infants. The Animal Husbandry Department also ensures that milk is available to the mothers and infants of the farmers rearing the stray cows.
According to a report, Uttar Pradesh currently has 6,222 cow shelters housing 8.55 lakh homeless cattle.
( With inputs from ANI )
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