Soon, cosmetics & cures from cow sanctuary

BHOPAL: India’s first and only cow sanctuary will be inaugurated in Madhya Pradesh’s Agar-Malwa district later this year.

Published on: Aug 29, 2016, 08:02:47 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

BHOPAL: India’s first and only cow sanctuary will be inaugurated in Madhya Pradesh’s Agar-Malwa district later this year.

By 2017, the sanctuary will also become a production centre to make cow urine and dung-based Ayurvedic medicines, cosmetics, pesticides and biofertilisers on a mass scale in a first-of-its-kind initiative by the state government, officials said.

The medicines will primarily be made using Panchagavya — a concoction of cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd and ghee.

While Madhya Pradesh will be the first state to get a cow sanctuary, two other BJP-ruled states — Haryana and Rajasthan — have also set in motion the process to set up similar havens for bovines.

The sanctuary in Salriya village is spread over 472 hectares and will house 6,000 cows once fully operational. The project, which was announced by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in 2008, is being implemented by the Madhya Pradesh Gaupalan Evam Pashudhan Samvardhan Board. Work on the Rs 31.9 crore project started in 2013.

Chouhan and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had performed the bhoomi pujan for setting up the sanctuary in December 2012. Sources said when the project was conceptualised after the CM’s announcement in 2008, it was estimated to cost Rs 1.52 crore. However, when Bhagwat expressed his desire that the project should be developed on a large scale and serve as a model for the country, the cost was scaled up.

MP has the highest cattle population in the country, with over 1.96 crore cows. Against this backdrop, Chouhan later announced that the sanctuary would also have a research centre and a production unit, besides being developed as a pilgrimage site.

Animal husbandry director Dr RK Rokde, who is also the managing director of the board, said, “We are calling it Gau Abyaranya, Anusandhan evam Utpadan Kendra (cow sanctuary, research and production centre). The sanctuary, which has nearly 500 cows at present, will finally have 6,000 cows. The infrastructure for the production unit has been set up.”

He added,“In 2017, we will be in a position to start production of cow urine and cow dung based herbal products, Panchagavya-based medicines, cosmetics such as soap sand shampoos, incense sticks, organic pesticides, bio-fertilisers and vermicompost among others.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk LIVE and more across India.