Chhattisgarh to Buy Cow Dung from Farmers, 5-Member Team to Decide Rates
Cow dung will now be procured from breeders and farmers by the Chhattisgarh government in a push to make cattle rearing economically profitable. In the process, it will also become the first state to attempt such a thing. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, addressing a press conference, said that the scheme will be launched on the occasion of ‘Hareli’, a local festival. The rate of cow dung, the CM said, would be fixed in the next eight days and for that a five-member ministerial committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of agriculture and water resources minister Ravindra Chaubey.
“There has been a tradition of open grazing in the state of Chhattisgarh, which results in loss of crops. The stray cattle in cities cause road accidents, loss of life and property. Second, the cows are abandoned after they stop giving milk and hence to make cow rearing a profitable business, the government has decided to procure cow dung from farmers and cattle owners,” said the CM. The urban administration department has been directed to make complete arrangements to prevent stray animals roaming in the cities. The department will be responsible for purchasing cow dung and production of vermicompost.
“The purpose of this scheme is to promote cattle rearing in the state and to benefit the cattle owners, who are mostly farmers. The government tried to strengthen the rural economy of the state through the ‘Narva, Garuva, Ghuruwa, Badi’ scheme in which we have developed cowsheds in 2,200 villages of the state. In the next two-three months, about 5,000 more cowsheds will be developed in the state. This scheme is an incremental step forward,” said the CM.
A committee of IAS officers has also been constituted under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to determine the process of procurement of cow dung.
Read: UP Man’s Device Turns Cow Dung Into ‘Wood’, Helps Farmers Earn Rs 8000/Month
Source: The article is extracted from HindustanTimes, June 25, 2020.