Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that the government has taken a significant step towards the Gauvansh Sanrakshan in the state. He said that the government has decided to earmark all the land designated for Gau Charan across the state, and the money collected by the Panchayats for leasing this land will now be used for the Gaushalas. Directions have also been issued to the officers concerned to prepare a roadmap under which the land designated for Gau Charan can be allocated to Gaushalas according to their needs for growing fodder, said Sh. Nayab Singh Saini.
The Chief Minister said this while addressing the gathering at the Gau Seva Samman Samaroh organized in District Panchkula on Tuesday. During the ceremony, the Chief Minister released a fodder grant of Rs 216.25 crore for the Gaushalas. He also facilitated the Gaushalas Sanchalak for becoming self-reliant.
Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that dedicated efforts are being made by the present state government to make Gaushalas self-reliant. Gaushalas are being encouraged to install biogas plants and technical assistance for this will be provided by the government. Apart from this, the method of promo manure prepared from cow dung will also be shared with the Gaushalas, so that promo manure can be used as an alternative to DAP, he said.
The Chief Minister said that Gaushalas will also be encouraged to make paint from cow dung, phenyl from cow urine, soap, shampoo etc. Marketing support will be provided by the government for the sale of these products. Solar energy plants have been installed in 330 Gaushalas. The work of installing solar power plants in the remaining Gaushalas will also be completed soon so that the Gaushalas can become self-reliant, said Sh. Nayab Singh Saini.
The Chief Minister said that the government is providing electricity to the Gaushalas at the rate of Rs 2 per unit. He said that the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department will promote the indigenous breed of cows under the Gau Samvardhan and Gau Sanrakshan Yojana. This will promote the production of indigenous milk and efforts will be made to get a profitable price for it, he said.
Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that all the Gauvansh in the state, whether it is Nandi, Gaumata, calf or heifer, will be tagged and this data will be available online, the report of which will be seen by him himself. Our society is once again moving towards the old culture. Today, when it is the birthday of the child or the parents at home, the family members go to the Gaushalas and serve the cows. This is our culture, he said.
State government has taken important steps to promote the development of Gaushalas, Gausanrakshan
The Chief Minister said that the Haryana government has also taken important steps towards the development of Gaushalas, Gausanrakshan and the promotion of natural farming. In the year 2014-15, the budget for Haryana Gau Seva Aayog was only Rs 2 crore. We started increasing the budget as soon as we took responsibility for public service. This year the total budget has been increased to Rs 510 crore, he said.
The Chief Minister said that till the year 2014, there were only 1.74 lakh cows in 215 registered gaushalas in Haryana. But at present there are 683 registered Gaushalas in the state, in which about 4.50 lakh cows are being kept, he shared.
Financial assistance given to Gaushalas for Gausanrakshan
Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that the Haryana government has given a grant of about Rs 270 crore for fodder to registered Gaushalas in the last 10 years. Apart from this, a grant of Rs 30 crore has been given for the construction of about 350 sheds and fodder warehouses, he said.
The Chief Minister further informed that in this financial year, about Rs 66 crore has been released to 608 Gaushalas for the purchase of fodder. Not only this, an earlier 1 per cent fee was charged from the Gaushalas on the registration of land, but now the new Gaushalas will not have to pay any stamp duty on the registration of land, he informed.
The Chief Minister said that the Gaushalas were facing difficulties due to a lack of proper arrangements for veterinarians to check the health of the cows. This problem has also been resolved. A veterinarian will do duty in the Gaushalas one day a week. Along with this, the services of mobile veterinary hospitals are also being made available to the Gaushalas, said Sh. Nayab Singh Saini.
Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that it is everyone's priority to free the state from stray cattle. He said that stray cattle often cause accidents. Now the Gaushala that catch these stray calves and heifers will be paid at the rate of Rs. 300, Rs. 600 for a cow and Rs. 800 for a Nandi, he informed.
The Chief Minister called upon the Gau Sevaks, who had come to the function to make all the farmers aware of natural farming. He said that today, due to the excessive use of pesticides by farmers in the fields, along with mankind, cattle are also getting adversely affected in the form of fodder. Therefore, natural farming is the only solution to this, he said.
State government committed to Gau Shanrakshan- Shyam Singh Rana
Speaking on the occasion, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Sh. Shyam Singh Rana said that the state government is committed to Gau Vansh Sanrakshan. Today, the annual milk production in Haryana has reached 122 lakh tonnes and the state ranks third in the country in terms of milk availability per person per day. He said that Haryana is the first state in the country to use a combined vaccine to free animals from foot and mouth disease. Pashudhan Bima Yojana is being implemented for livestock owners.
Sh. Shyam Singh Rana said that the state government has laid special emphasis on the promotion of indigenous breeds of Sahiwal and Belahi cows. He said that a strict law, Haryana Gau Vansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act-2015, has been implemented for the protection of cows. This law provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years for individuals involved in cow slaughter and up to 7 years of imprisonment for those involved in illegal cow trafficking, said Sh. Shyam Singh Rana.
Haryana will be the first stray cattle-free state in the country - Swami Gyananand Maharaj Ji
On this occasion, Gita Manishi Swami Sh. Gyananand Ji Maharaj said that today’s programme is proof that for Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini and the present state government, cows are not just a political issue, not merely an election topic, and not a tool to garner votes by making announcements in the name of cows. Instead, it is a matter of faith. That is why today’s event has been named ‘Gau Seva Samman Samaroh’, he said.
Sh. Gyananand Ji Maharaj said that many cow devotees are giving proper respect to stray cattle, and at the same time, they are making various products through Panchgavya (five products of the cow) and working towards making Gaushalas self-reliant. He further said that today’s programme will serve as a medium to make Haryana the first stray cattle-free state in the country.
BJP Government has consistently increased the budget for cattle - Shrawan Garg
During the ceremony, Chairman of Haryana Gau Seva Aayog, Sh. Shrawan Garg said that under the leadership of Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, the present state Government is undertaking numerous initiatives for the protection of cattle. Presently, there are 683 registered Gaushalas in Haryana, where approximately 4.50 lakh cattle are being taken care of, whereas, during the Congress government's tenure in 2013-14, only 215 Gaushalas were registered in the state, housing 1.75 lakh cattle.
Sh. Shrawan Garg said that over the last 10 years, stray cattle have consistently been caught and kept safely in Gaushalas. During Congress's time, the budget for Gaushalas was just Rs 2 crore, whereas in the past 10 years, the BJP government has increased the budget to Rs 510 crore.
MLA Sh. Randhir Panihar, Panchkula Mayor, Sh. Kulbhushan Goyal, Chairman, Haryana Livestock Development Board, Sh. Dharmveer Mirzapur, Vice Chairman, Haryana Gau Seva Aayog, Sh. Puran Yadav, OSD to Chief Minister, Sh. Bharat Bhushan Bharti also remained present on this occasion.