Madhya Pradesh: First meeting of cow cabinet today

Bhopal, Nov 22: The first meeting of the Gau cabinet' (cow cabinet) in Madhya Pradesh, formed with the aim of promoting and protecting the cow, will take place on Sunday.

The cabinet brings together ministries of Animal Husbandry, Panchayat and Rural Development, Forest, Revenue, Home and Agriculture.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would chair the meeting virtually, officials said.

Besides Chouhan, the cabinet will include Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Forest Minister Vijay Shah, Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia and Minister for Animal Husbandry Prem Singh Patel.

Six departments will execute the decisions of the gau-cabinet in a coordinated manner, Chouhan said in a statement later.

An action plan will be implemented for increasing the use of cow dung cakes (kanda'). The making and marketing of Gau-Kasht (cow-wood) is being encouraged at present, similarly efforts will be made to market other products made from cow milk, he said.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath said that Chouhan did not keep his promise made before the 2018 Assembly elections.

"Shivraj Singh, who announced the formation of a separate cow ministry (department) in the state before the 2018 assembly elections, is now talking about setting up a cabinet for cow protection and fostering," he said.

He has forgotten his old announcement, Nath said.

"There has been no work for cow protection and promotion during the 15 years' BJP rule in the state. On the contrary, they reduced the money given for cow shelters," Nath said, adding that the Congress government had started the work on construction of 1,000 cow shelters.

Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti praised Chouhan for the decision.