Stating that cow protection and conservation are the priorities of the Madhya Pradesh government, Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Sunday said, “gaumata [cow] is a symbol of faith and pride for us. We can’t see it suffering on the streets.”

Hence, the government had decided to construct 1,000 gaushalas (cow sheds). “For us, gaumata is a matter of faith not politics,” he added.

On Saturday, Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Pratap Chandra Sarangi at an event here extolled the State government for the initiative. “Cows can’t be compared with other living beings,” he had said.

Thanking Mr. Sarangi for the praise, Mr. Kamal Nath said this gave the government inspiration to work for cow protection.

The gaushalas are being built at the panchayat level through the public-private partnership model. In the budget this year, the government had earmarked ₹132 crore for cow welfare.