Holy cow! Rajasthan govt announces sanctuary for bovines protection

In a time where people are bring lynched and attacked on suspicion of cow smuggling, Rajasthan government has come up with the idea of ‘cow sanctuary’. The state government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a private trust to protect the cows on Friday. This MoU was signed during the recent visit of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to Bikaner.

This is not the first time that BJP-led state government has come up something special to protect the bovines. After returning to power in 2013, Raje made a separate department dedicated to the protection and welfare of cows. In 2017, the state government announced a 10 per cent surcharge on stamp duty towards cow protection, reports Indian Express.

Speaking about the cow sanctuary, Gopalan minister Otaram Dewasi said, “This will be the first cow sanctuary in Rajasthan and will be situated in Bikaner’s Napasar. The objective is to dedicate the entire area for cows, much on the lines of a wildlife sanctuary. The signing of the MoU was done on Friday and we are looking to start the facility at the earliest.”

The minister further added, “Facilities in the sanctuary will include hospitals and Sewan grass as fodder for the animals. This particular type of grass is considered to be among the best quality fodder for cows.”

As per the information, arrangements of sheltering 10,000 bovines will be done in an area which is spread over 220 hectares in Bikaner district. The members of the trust are even planning to make this place a tourist destination.

Secretary of the Sohanlalji Buladeviji Ojha Gaushala Samiti, Rampal Ojha, said, “The cows which will be kept at the sanctuary would primarily be the animals which are abandoned by their owners after they stop producing milk and become stray animals. Animals rescued from cattle smugglers will also find a place in the facility.”