Chandigarh, August 16 – On the auspicious occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, released a fodder grant of Rs. 1.80 crore for 19 gaushalas in Kurukshetra district.
The Chief Minister said that the state government will release a total of Rs. 88.50 crore as fodder subsidy for 605 gaushalas across Haryana.
While addressing the gathering during the programme at Gita Gyan Sansthan, Kurukshetra, on Saturday, the Chief Minister extended his greetings on the holy festival of Sri Krishna Janmashtami. During the programme, he also released a research publication on the Gita and Ayurveda. Earlier, he visited Sri Krishna Kripa Gaushala, where he offered prayers by feeding jaggery and fodder to cows, and performed rituals at Sri Krishna Kripa Temple.
He said that over the past ten and a half years, the government has provided fodder subsidies worth Rs. 270 crore to registered gaushalas. With the current release, the total subsidy amount has now reached Rs. 358.50 crore.
He said that in 2014–15, the budget for Haryana Gau Seva Aayog was only Rs 2 crore. In contrast, the present government has raised it to Rs. 595 crore this year. Until 2014, Haryana had only 215 registered gaushalas with about 1.75 lakh cattle. Currently, there are 686 registered gaushalas housing nearly 4 lakh stray cattle. Solar power plants have been installed in 330 gaushalas, and the work to set them up in the remaining gaushalas will soon be completed.
The Chief Minister said that the process of purchasing 800 e-rickshaws for gaushalas is underway. Electricity is being provided to gaushalas at a concessional rate of Rs 2 per unit. Veterinary services have been arranged for regular health check-ups of cattle, along with mobile veterinary clinics. The government has also decided to grant Rs. 10 lakh per gaushala to 200 gaushalas for building sheds to accommodate stray cattle.
He said that Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi has implemented the National Gokul Mission for the conservation and promotion of indigenous cow breeds. The Haryana government is making extensive efforts to make gaushalas self-reliant. Assistance is also being provided for the purchase of required machinery for Panchagavya production as per the demand of gaushalas. For the protection of cows, the government has implemented a strict law, the Haryana Gau-Vansh Sanrakshan and Gau Samvardhan Act, 2015.
Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister, Sh. Shyam Singh Rana, said that since ancient times, cows have held a special place in Indian culture. In earlier times, the economy was largely dependent on cows. Even before the formation of Haryana, farming was done using ploughs drawn by oxen. Today, the Haryana government is running several schemes for the protection of cows.
Gita Manishi Swami Gyananand Ji Maharaj praised the efforts of Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini in the direction of cow protection. He said that Lord Sri Krishna considered the cow divine and worship-worthy. It was on the land of Kurukshetra that Lord Sri Krishna delivered the message of the Gita. He said that multiple forms of Gita-related research are already underway at Gita Gyan Sansthan, and now research on the Gita and Ayurveda will also be carried out here.
