Ramdev’s next: Cow breeding unit

HARIDWAR: Yoga guru Ramdev is making a fresh pitch over his proposed Vedic education board and also plans to open an advanced research institute in Haridwar for

HARIDWAR: Yoga guru Ramdev is making a fresh pitch over his proposed Vedic education board and also plans to open an advanced research institute in Haridwar for breeding indigenous, high-milk-producing cows.

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His Vedic education plan was once snubbed by the human resource development ministry, but he now claims to have the support of powerful people for his project.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and the NDA government are serious about such a Vedic education board and we are hopeful we will soon get approval,” he said on Tuesday.

Ramdev’s trust had moved an application to then HRD minister Smriti Irani, seeking recognition for the Vedic board, but she turned down the request. She reasoned that government approval for a private board would open the doors for similar requests from unrecognised school boards.

This month, Ramdev’s aide Balkrishna met HRD minister Prakash Javadekar and school education secretary SC Khuntia to revive the proposal to establish a national board that would allow affiliated schools to offer a blend of the traditional gurukul system and modern curriculum.

And while his Patanjali business empire continues to expand, Ramdev said the cow, sacred to Hindus, had been neglected over the years and it was high time the “mother” got due attention.

“Our desi breed of cows will give milk up to 60 litres a day. We plan to end the monopoly of foreign cattle that farmers prefer because of their capacity to produce 50-60 litres of milk a day. Our institute will also double up as the biggest cow shelter in India,” he said.

Ghee made of cow’s milk is one of the largest selling products of Ramdev’s flagship company Patanjali Ayurved Limited, which sources the milk from elsewhere.

To boost his business and meet the growing demand for Patanjali products in the domestic and international market, Ramdev will open six new production units — two in UP and one each in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Jammu. These units will be up and producing by the last quarter of this fiscal.

The food processing unit in Nagpur will export products to the US and other international destinations, while rest of the units will cater to the domestic demand.

Patanjali’s revenue has touched Rs 5,000 crore and the company has emerged as a serious threat to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) majors in the country.

The yoga guru, a known BJP supporter, is paying more attention to business than politics, now that his company is recording a phenomenal growth trajectory. He campaigned for the BJP in the 2014 general elections, but has no such plans for next year’s assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand.

“I don’t have any political agenda nor do I have political plans. I have others things to do,” he said.