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In A Move To Protect Cows, Government Is Now Considering Setting Up Cow Sanctuaries

'Project Cow' would be along the lines of 'Project Tiger'.
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Hansraj G Ahir, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, has said that the central government is considering a proposal to set up sanctuaries for cows across India. He likened the scheme to Project Tiger that was initiated in 1973 for the conservation of tigers after the tiger population was found to be dwindling at an alarming rate.

According to the Indian Express, the minister said that in addition to stopping cow slaughter, there was a need to build cow sanctuaries and provide fodder for them as well. Ahir told Indian Express, "Humne yeh socha tha, aur kaafi din se hum is pe kaam bhi kar rahe hai... Gau hatya ko rok lagana hai, usme sabse bada adanga yeh aata hai ki inko paaley kaun... Iske liye ek gau abhyaaranya banane ki zaroorat hai aur chara... uska bhi collection karna padega. Har state mein honi chahiye...gau hatya par rok lagana sambhav hoga". (We have thought about this and have been working on it for some time...Cow slaughter must be stopped, but the biggest hurdle is who will take care of them...To that end, a cow sanctuary must be made and fodder must be provided to the cows as well. These sanctuaries must be there in every state...and only then will it be possible to stop cow slaughter.)

The minister added that the availability of cow sanctuaries will stop farmers from selling their old cows.

According to IE, Ahir said that he had already spoken to the environment ministry and they are planning to expedite the proposal that will shape up as something along the lines of Project Tiger. He added that a chara (fodder) bank could also be set up for these cow sanctuaries.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.