LUCKNOW The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced the Mukhyamantri Swadeshi Gau Samvardhan Yojana, a part of the Nand Baba Milk Mission, with the aim of augmenting the income of cow herders, fostering self-reliance among them, and promoting the conservation of indigenous cow breeds, as announced by a government spokesperson on Saturday.

The government released a directive on Friday delineating the program’s eligibility criteria, subsidy benchmarks, objectives, and the blueprint of the initiative, the spokesperson stated.

Under this scheme, cow herders who acquire cows of Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Gir, and Sankar breeds from other states will be entitled to a subsidy covering various expenses such as transportation, transit insurance, and animal insurance.

Significantly, cow herders can avail a subsidy of up to 40% of their total expenses, amounting to a maximum of ₹80,000, upon procuring a maximum of two cows of indigenous breeds. The scheme will be inaugurated across 18 divisional headquarters districts in the initial phase, with subsequent expansion to encompass all districts within the state.

The primary objective of the Mukhya Mantri Swadeshi Gau Samvardhan Yojana, falling under the Nand Baba Mission, is to amplify the population and diversity of advanced indigenous cattle within the state. This endeavour seeks to bolster milk production and elevate the state’s stature as a paramount milk producer.

“As an added incentive, the initiative strives to involve rural youth and women from the state’s hinterlands in animal husbandry entrepreneurship, thereby generating employment prospects,” the spokesperson remarked. “Preference will be accorded to female dairy producers within the ambit of the scheme,” he appended.

Source : The Hindustan Times Aug 27th 2023