The Modi government is all set to provide the 12-digit aadhaar like number to the country’s cows under Pashu Sanjivini programme. The Union government plans to spend Rs 50 crore for making the unique identification for cows, as reported by Hindustan Times. The project will cover 40 million cattle.
A diary department official informed Hindustan Times that the government had acquired the UID technology to implement the programme. According to the report, the technology has a cheap, tamper-proof polyurethane card containing the cow’s vital details such as breed, age, sex, height and individual body marks. This move comes after the finance minister announced plan to increase farmer’s income by 2022.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced many schemes for the growth of animal husbandry, fisheries and aquaculture in the Union budget 2018-19.
In 2005, a committee appointed by the government recommended aadhaar number for cows to prevent trafficking after Supreme Court’s direction to stop cattle smuggling.
Pashu Sanjivini
Pashu Sanjivini programme was announced in the 2016 budget with an aim to control animal diseases and to enhance the quality of livestock.
Major activities under Pashu Sanjivini scheme include: i) Identification and tracing of animals using polyurethane tags with unique identification number (UID) ii) Upgrading details on animal productivity and health iii) Uploading data to national database on regular basis iv) Creation of dedicated helpline for farmers.
The Logical Indian Take
The government should prioritise their issues first. First, it should address the issue of Cow Vigilantes or Gau Rakshaks then think about cows.
In a country like India, where there are so many unresolved issues like poverty, lack of proper healthcare, lack of proper education, crimes against women and minorities, the government needs take a step away from cows.
