UP govt moots ‘cow safaris’ to make stray cow shelters economically viable

Adityanath government has allocated Rs 600 crore for cow shelters

Furthering its cow protection agenda, the Yogi Adityanath government has mooted the concept of ‘cow safaris’ in Uttar Pradesh to make stray cow shelters economically viable. UP animal husbandry and dairy development minister Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan has directed officials to identify suitable land across the state for setting up ‘cow safaris’, and to forward the proposals for vetting and approval.

Akin to any wildlife or animal safari, the ‘cow safaris’ would be set up over sprawling compounds in the select districts, with the cow allowed to graze freely, while the people could visit such spots. In UP Budget 2019-20, the government had allocated nearly Rs 600 crore for setting up and maintaining cow shelters. Besides, a special cess has been imposed on beer and foreign liquor apart from 2% ‘mandi’ cess to create a corpus for cow protection.

Earlier, the chief minister had also espoused the idea of developing ‘cow safaris’ in all the major cities. However, now the state government is set to take concrete steps to take the idea forward towards fruition. Reviewing the progress of projects for the conservation of stray cattle, the minister instructed officials to involve private trusts, non-government organisations (NGOs) and community entities in the task of cow protection and their shelter….

Yogi Adityanath government imposes cess on excise duty for cow shelters

Under the new policy for financing the construction and running of cow shelters, the state government has imposed a 2% cess on excise duty, apart from 0.5% cess on state-operated tolls

Latest News: Facing flak over stray cattle damaging crops and causing road accidents, the Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday announced a new policy for temporary cow shelters in the urban and rural areas of Uttar Pradesh.

Following a ban on illegal cattle trade and abattoirs after the Adityanath government came to power in March 2017, the number of stray cattle has multiplied in UP. These abandoned animals not only cause extensive damage to crops but road accidents as well, which have claimed lives and injured many. Recently, hundreds of stray cows were locked inside a government school in Aligarh district by irate farmers, who claimed these animals were destroying their crops.

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Now under the new policy for financing the construction and running of cow shelters, the state government has imposed a 2% cess on excise duty, apart from 0.5% cess on state-operated tolls.Meanwhile, the 1% levy on the tax revenue of the UP agricultural marketing board or Mandi Parishad, which goes to the state panchayat bodies, has also been hiked to 2% for mopping up more financial resources towards the proposed cow shelter infrastructure.

Besides, 8 state public sector undertakings, including Setu Nigam (Bridge Corporation) and UP State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) will contribute 0.5% towards the cow shelter scheme from their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) kitty. These decisions were taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Adityanath….