Haryana Government will set up Gau Abhyaranyas for the conservation of stray cows. Haryana Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister, Om Prakash Dhankar on Sunday here said that the State Government had decided to set up Gau Abhyaranyas for the conservation of stray cows. These will be set up at strategic locations in the State, including Sirsa and Bhiwani districts. There are about three lakh cows in the State, including 1.5 lakh stray cows. He assured cow lovers that the State Government would effectively implement the Gau Samvardhan Act which is on the anvil, all over the State.
The State Government would also provide subsidy on the purchase of buffaloes and bullock-carts. Subsidy to the tune of 50 per cent would be given to the farmers for setting up dairy units for indigenous cows and mini-dairy units, he added. A Rs77.9 crore gausamvardhan project has been approved by the Centre under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development for integrated development of indigenous cattle, including Haryana, Sahiwal and Gir, in the State.
The scheme would be implemented in five years and a provision of Rs2522.72 lakh has been made for the first year. Dhankar said that for further encouraging the farmers to rear good quality indigenous cattle breeds of high milk yield, the State Government had decided to start performance recording for these breeds and provide incentive money ranging from Rs10,000 to Rs20,000 on the basis of milk yield, to their owners. For the conservation and development of Murrah breed of buffaloes, the ongoing scheme has been modified and incentive money of Rs15,000, Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 would be provided in the categories of 15-19 Kg, 19-25 Kg and 25 Kg, respectively.
Dhankar added that subsidy of 50 per cent would be provided for setting up dairy, piggery, sheep and goat units by Scheduled Caste families. To strengthen and effectively implement complete ban on cow slaughter, a new legislation has been drafted which would be tabled in the budget session of the Vidhan Sabha, he added.