Mamata’s cow-for-poor scheme draws Oppn ire

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government announced a scheme to distribute cows for free to the rural poor, prompting criticism from rivals who called it an attempt to pander to “cow politics” and to lure voters ahead of next year’s panchayat elections.

The Trinamool Congress government said this week that 2,000 milch cattle will be distributed by the end of the year to the poor in an effort to help them and the state’s overall milk output. The decision comes ahead of panchayat elections set for mid-2018.

Bengal animal resource development (ARD) minister Swapan Debnath, however, rubbished opposition criticism. “There are two conditions to be eligible to receive the heifer free of cost. First, the family should be in below poverty line category.

Second, the beneficiary family should not have any other source of income. The move has nothing to do with the pancha- yat polls.

This is a move to encourage accelerated milk production involving the rural poor,” he said.

Debnath said the project will begin from Birbhum district and slowly spread to other districts.

When pointed out that 2,000 heifers will cater to at most around 350 villages, he said, “Distribution of 2,000 heifers will be the beginning and this will be an ongoing process.”

On procurement, Debnath said two major heifer-breeding firms owned by the state government at Haringhata in Nadia district and Salboni in West Midnapore district will be the main source.

“There are other small heifer-breeding firms and we will pro- cure from them also,” he said.

Debnath was unable to specify any budget.

“It will require funds as per necessity of the time. There will be no dearth of funds.”

A state ARD official, on condition of anonymity, pointed out that the price of high-quality heifer ranges between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000.

CPI(M) politburo and Lok Sabha member Md Salim told HT the scheme is a “double ploy” to benefit families of Trinamool cadre as well as to fall in line with the “nasty cow politics that Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is pursuing throughout the nation”.

Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) national secretary Rahul Sinha also ridiculed the decision. “She is feeling the negative pinch of her earlier policy of excessive minority appeasement.

So, she is now taking this route to strike a balance somewhere before the panchayat polls,” he said.