The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a cow census across the state in three categories, which includes determining the number of destitute animals with cattle rearers, abandoned cows on the streets and Kanha Upvans, according to a statement on Monday.
U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also ordered implementing of geo-tagging. “In the first phase, these cows will be counted. In the next phase, a plan will be formulated and implemented to ensure they are provided with suitable accommodation,” the statement said.
“Presently, 11. 85 lakh cows are protected in 6,889 destitute cattle breeding sites, while over 1.85 lakh cows have been handed over to gau sevaks under Mukhyamantri Sahbhagita Yojana’ for cow protection,” said the U.P. government.
In a related development, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav wanted to know when the govt plans to assess the work of Gaushalas (cow sheds), and what was being done about allegations of corruption. “How many stray animals are there in the cow sheds that have been opened? When was the work of Gaushalas assessed and what was the result?,” asked Mr. Yadav on X.
