New Delhi: The Chhattisgarh government is seeking to expand its cow dung-to-cash scheme by introducing a new scheme under which it will procure cow urine from cattle rearers. According to the Times of India, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel held a meeting with officers on Wednesday, and said a technical committee would be set up to study the matter.
The committee, which will include faculty from the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University and Kamdhenu University, has been asked to submit its report with 15 days, covering the collection of cow urine, quality testing and products it can be used in. Officials have also been asked to map the availability of local raw materials which can be used in the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Industrial Park to be developed in the state-run Gauthans.
At the meeting, according to the Times of India, there were discussions on how bio-fertilisers and bio-enzymes are prepared from cow urine.
“The cattle urine will be procured in the same manner as cow dung procured by the Chhattisgarh government. We will procure cattle urine through Gram Gauthan (cattle shed) Samiti and fortnightly payments will be made to cattle owners and farmers for the procurement,” Pradeep Shrama, advisor to Baghel, told Hindustan Times.
According to the 20th livestock census, Chhattisgarh had 2,61,503 cattle in 2019.
In July 2020, the Congress government in Chhattisgarh had launched the Godhan Nyay Yojana, under which the state government purchases cow dung from farmers at the rate of Rs 1.50 per kg.
Madhya Pradesh following the same path
In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh too, the Bharatiya Janata Party government seems to be following a similar trajectory, though it is yet to formally institute such schemes. Last week, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stressed on the need to promote cow-rearing and make people aware of the economic potential of its products, including cow dung.
On the first day of the two-day brainstorming session of the MP cabinet at Pachmarhi on Saturday evening, Chouhan said steps will also be taken to make cow shelters self-sustainable and ‘Gobardhan’ projects will be started in different cities of the state.
“Arrangements will be made to purchase cow dung in the state. New works will be started in Madhya Pradesh by studying the experiments of cow conservation and protection in other states, including Gujarat, he said.
The common citizens will be motivated towards cow-rearing if they have an income from cow dung and urine. Concerted efforts will also be made to make ‘gaushalas’ (cow shelters) self-sustainable, Chouhan said.
After the successful operation of a Bio-CNG plant at Indore in MP, the Gobardhan scheme will also be implemented in other cities of the state, he said.
This article first appeared on thewire.in
