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Public participation essential to make gaushalas self-reliant: Haryana CM Saini
He urged the public to actively participate in efforts to make gaushalas (cow shelters) self-reliant, while also encouraging citizens to use products made from cow dung and cow urine.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, while appealing to the people to not abandon cows on the roads, said “cow devotees” must lead a public awareness campaign for the protection of cows and serving them is everyone’s moral responsibility.
He urged the public to actively participate in efforts to make gaushalas (cow shelters) self-reliant, while also encouraging citizens to use products made from cow dung and cow urine.
Saini was speaking as the chief guest at the Gopashtami celebration held at Shri Krishna Gaushala on Thursday.
He also announced a grant of ₹21 lakh from his discretionary fund to the gaushala.
Earlier, he performed “gau pooja”, and inspected the medical facilities provided for the cattle at the gaushala.
Saini said that the cow holds both social and spiritual significance and has always been associated with wealth and prosperity and in ancient times, a person’s wealth was measured by the number of cows they owned.
The chief minister said that cow’s milk is regarded as equivalent to nectar and scientific studies have proven that the milk of indigenous (desi) cows is highly beneficial for health and is considered as nutritious as mother’s milk.
Saini said that the government has taken several initiatives for the development of gaushalas, protection of cattle and promotion of natural farming.
“Eleven years ago, the Gau Seva Aayog received only ₹2 crore in grants, but after the BJP government came to power, this amount has been continuously increased. The government has now allocated ₹600 crore for cow protection and promotion. In 2014, there were 215 registered gaushalas in the state housing 1.75 lakh cattle, while today there are 686 gaushalas with over 4 lakh cattle. The process of purchasing 800 e-rickshaws for gaushalas is underway. The government is also providing electricity to gaushalas at ₹2 per unit, and stamp duty on land registration for gaushalas has been abolished,” he added.
He also informed that ₹88.50 crore has been given as fodder subsidy to 605 gaushalas. In the last 11 years, registered gaushalas have received around ₹388 crore as fodder assistance.
He said that strict laws have been enacted to ensure the safety of cows. There is a provision for ten years of imprisonment for cow slaughter and seven years for cow smuggling.
Earlier, Gita Manishi Swami Gyananand Maharaj spoke about the significance of Gopashtami, saying that the cow is not an ordinary being but the essence of Sanatan traditions.
Among those present on the occasion were Bhanpura Peeth shankaracharya Premmurti Maharaj, chief whip and Indri MLA from Ram Kumar Kashyap, Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand, Assandh MLA Yogender Rana, mayor Renu Bala Gupta, BJP district president Parveen Lather, Gau Sewa Aayog chairperson Shravan Kumar Garg and gaushala president Sunil Gupta.
