NITI Aayog working on gaushala economy to address stray cattle issue

NITI Aayog, the government think-tank, is working on a roadmap to enable commercial use of cow dung for multiple purposes, and resolve various issues connected with stray cows which often become liability for farmers, its member Ramesh Chand has said.

The Aayog has also asked economic think tank NCAER to prepare a report on the economics of gaushalas to ensure its commercial viability.

“We are just looking at what are the possibilities to improve the gaushala economy…We are looking at the possibility that can we have some value created or value addition for the by-products, which is cow dung,” he told PTI.

A team of government officials under Chand has visited big gaushalas in Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh), Rajasthan and other parts of India to assess their conditions. He pointed out that maybe 10 percent or 15 percent of cows give a small quantity of milk but that is not enough to cover labour, fodder and treatment costs.

“Cow dung can be used to make Bio-CNG…So we are looking at those kinds of possibilities,” Chand, who oversees farm policies at the government think tank said.

Menace of stray cattle, abandoned by their owners, had become a major talking point in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

The NITI Aayog member highlighted the advantage of producing bio-CNG from cow dung.

“We are just looking at what are the possibilities to improve the gaushala economy…We are looking at the possibility that can we have some value created or value addition for the by-products, which is cow dung,” he told PTI.

A team of government officials under Chand has visited big gaushalas in Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh), Rajasthan and other parts of India to assess their conditions. He pointed out that maybe 10 percent or 15 percent of cows give a small quantity of milk but that is not enough to cover labour, fodder and treatment costs.

“Cow dung can be used to make Bio-CNG…So we are looking at those kinds of possibilities,” Chand, who oversees farm policies at the government think tank said.

Menace of stray cattle, abandoned by their owners, had become a major talking point in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

The NITI Aayog member highlighted the advantage of producing bio-CNG from cow dung.

(With PTI inputs)

Published on: Thursday, April 14, 2022, 07:52 PM IST