Govt has done a lot for cows, says PM in Vrindavan

VRINDAVAN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the cow is an important part of India’s tradition and culture and that his government has taken several steps to improve the health of cows in India.

The Prime Minister was speaking in Vrindavan, a town associated with Lord Krishna, which he was visiting to participate in a function to commemorate the three billionth meal served by the Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit organisation funded by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon). Modi served food to underprivileged schoolchildren on the occasion at the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir campus.

Interestingly, on a day when the Congress party embarked on a high-profile and well-attended roadshow in the same state, Uttar Pradesh, Modi steered clear of political issues and sought to focus on the developmental and welfare schemes of his government.

Parliamentary elections are due in the summer and Uttar Pradesh sends the most representatives, 80, to Parliament.

The Prime Minister also said the cow was a vital element of the rural economy and that the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led gov-

ernment launched schemes such as the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and created the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog so as to boost the country’s pastoral economy.

“Cattle rearers can now get a loan of up to ~3 lakh as the banks have opened avenues for them,” Modi added.

“We have decided to create the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog in the budget and proposed ~500 crore under it to look after the cow and its progeny,” he said.