In a drought year, Maharashtra’s richest crop has come in the form of traders, jewellers and diamond merchants emerging in large numbers to protect the holy cow and safeguard its progeny. As many as 250 trusts have come forward to set up ‘ gau sadans’ since the State allocated Rs 34 crore for these bovine facilities.
If the spirited interest of the State’s rich is any indication, Maharashtra may soon beat Gujarat in its cow-saviour image.
To their credit, the 250 trusts are already taking care of an estimated 52,000 cows across Maharashtra and also in Gujarat. But in a first, big jewellers from Nagpur and western Maharashtra have tied up with traders and a collective proposal has been made to the Chief Minister that the Rs 34 crore fund be given to them. They have even suggested a range of conditions — indicative of their love for the animal or their land holding — that should be applied while assigning the task of cow protection.
Among those who have ventured into the cow terrain include Bafna Jewellers of Jalgaon, Papalal Keshavlal Jewellers of Mumbai and Renaissance Jewellers.
“People keep blaming Modi (PM Narendra Modi) for his international tours, but what they don’t realise is that he has got his bovine expertise from Brazil and Europe to promote the indigenous breed of cows. This kind of a revolution was never seen or envisaged by previous governments,” said trader Rajesh Bhanushali, who runs Odhav Gau Roti sansthan that provides rotis to 1,400 cows in Virar.
The State had allocated Rs 34 crore as part of the Centre’s Gowardhan Gauraksha Scheme for cow conservation. The scheme envisaged creation of shelters for old cattle and reserving grassland for grazing. As per the plan, each social group short listed for the cow conservation project will get Rs 1 crore. Vying for that money are 250 contenders now.
The Samast Mahajan Trust that has put together the proposal is doing similar work in Gujarat. “We have done a collective survey of the 250 trusts and believe that if they are given this money (Rs 34 crore), they will do a good job in Maharashtra with little help from the government.
However, the opposition doesn’t quite see this cow movement as a bovine affair. “It is a land grab in the guise of a scheme,” said Jayaji Suryavanshi from Aurangabad, adding that grazing land that the government will give for this scheme is encroached upon.
