Hearing ‘Om, cow’ alarms some: PM
Says environment and livestock have been at the core of India’s economic philosophy
Speaking at a function at Mathura Veterinary University after launching a bouquet of schemes for livestock and help farmers double their income, PM Modi said those whose hair stood up at the mention of ‘cow’ and ‘Om’ think that the country was being pushed into the 16th and 17th century. He said such people are hell-bent on damaging the country. “Environment and livestock have always been at the core of India’s economic thought and philosophy. Be it Swachh Bharat or Jal Jeevan Mission or promoting agriculture and animal husbandry, we always try to maintain a balance between nature and the economy. And this is what enables us to build a strong new India,” he pointed out.
“Can one imagine a rural economy, village or family without livestock? They are the valuable basis of a rural economy,” he stressed. He spoke about the criticism he faced at presenting 250 cows to the Rwanda government during his visit last year. “What was not reported in India is the innovative scheme being run by Rawanda where the government presents a cow to every family on the undertaking that the first female calf would be taken back and given to those who do not have a cow, making every rural family own productive livestock,” said PM Modi.
Also inaugurating the ‘Swachch hi Sewa’ campaign for banning single-use plastic, PM Modi underlined the correlation between the use of plastic, irreparable damage to the environment and the rampant death of livestock by eating it.
He urged the Braj region, the home to Lord Krishna, to take the lead in banning single-use plastic. He expected a complete ban on single-use plastic by ridding it from homes and offices by Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th anniversary on October 2.
5-year national cattle programme
- The Rs 12,652 crore National Animal Disease Control Programme till 2024 aims at vaccinating over 51 crore livestock against Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis
- National Artificial Insemination Programme in all 687 districts of the country on vaccination, disease management, artificial insemination and productivity
- “Sex-sorted semen’ technology to ensure that more female calves are born, so as to increase farmers’ income
