Union Home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday hinted that the Central Government in principle has agreed to ban cow slaughter across the country, but for this, the Government needs majority in both the Houses, he added. Addressing a national conclave of Jain community (Sadhu-Sadhvi sammelan), Singh said Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat have imposed total ban on cow slaughter and there was need to put it in the rest of India. lauding efforts of Jain community, he said ‘Ahimsa (nonviolence) forms base of peace and through it, we can rein in terrorism.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said the cow slaughter is totally banned in Madhya Pradesh and was a criminal offence."Transportation, storage and sale of beef is completely ban in the State."As many as 12,000 people were arrested on the charge of cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh and of them, 1,500 convicted during 2009-2014. Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act was introduced in 2004 by the then Chief Minister Uma Bharati. later, it was amended in 2010, to make cow slaughter an offence. It attracts penal provision of jail term from one year to seven years. Further, the accused has to prove him innocent. "We want to make it more stringent," Chouhan said earlier the Act had provision for a fine of Rs10,000 while the amended Act has provisions to include not only the transporter of (beef, cow or hide) but driver and co-owner of the vehicle would also face legal action.
In another major announcement, Chouhan said the State Government after giving 50 per cent reservation to womenfolk in local government jobs, has decided to give 30 per cent reservation to fair sex in the police jobs. Making this announcement in the presence of Union home minister Rajnath Singh, Shivraj said the State Government has been making concerted efforts to correct gender imbalances and put curb on female feticide in the State. Similarly several welfare schemes have been launched by the Government for the welfare of girl students as well as women. Particularly, State Governments ‘laadli laxmi Yojna’ and ‘Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojna’ have attracted wide appreciation, he added. State urban welfare and development minister Kailash Vijayvarigya, State tourism minister Surendra Patwa, State BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan, city Mayor Malini Gaud were among prominent people present on the occasion.