UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

LUCKNOW: "If any person indulges in cruelty to cows (leave aside talk of killing of cows), he will find himself behind bars,“ he said, adding that the state government would set up a 'gaushala' (cowshed) in each of 75 districts in the state. He added that these 'gaushalas' would be operated by local societies and not the state government. He said the survey on gaushalas is almost over and they would be opened soon.

These cowsheds would prove to be a boon in regions like Bundelkhand which face the problem of “anna pratha“, where people abandon their cattle when they stop milching, or during peak summers when there is water scarcity. He said that grazing ground for cattle would also be made available, and added that an antiland grabbing cell has been set up for this purpose. So far, the cell has got around 43,000 hectares of land vacated , the CM said.

“If Indian culture has to be saved, then people will have to save `gaaye, Ganga aur Tulsi (cow, Ganga river and Tulsi plant),“ Yogi added. Speaking on the occasion, VHP vice-president Hukkum Chand Saanwla said the previous governments nundled cow meat and buffalo meat together as 'beef ' and thus India's export stood at 22.5 lakh metric tonne. But after Modi government came to power, cow meat and buffalo meat were segregated and so now India exports only 15.25 lakh metric tonne of beef, he added.

Read story in Bengali

