Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje issued notice to authorities after light was shed on the state of cows in the state—the first state in India to have a designated cow ministry. According to a report in India Today, hundreds of cows are perishing due to malnutrition, and their carcasses forced to rot, in Hingonia, the state’s biggest cow shelter. Nearly 90 cows have perished in just two days.
“Twenty cows are dying on an average every day,” said veterinarian Arvind Yadav. “Those you see still alive will also pass in a day or two. They have been starving in this slosh. What can I do?” He blamed the administration for the poor conditions in the shelter. While there are 17 veterinarians registered at the shelter, only one was present when journalists visited.
Two weeks ago, 225 staff of the shelter protested wage delays—they claim they haven’t received their dues for five months. However, municipal officials in Jaipur refused to pay their salaries, claiming their parents company was blacklisted. This has had an adverse effect on the health of the cows. The rain water has not been drained from the cowsheds and the animals haven’t been fed.
Harendra Kiwar, its deputy commissioner attributing the desolation to rains and the two-week worker strike. In 2010, Raje publicly pledged to protect cows in the state. This led to the creation of a ministry, set up to ensure the animals are sheltered.
In the wake of self-proclaimed cow protectors emerging across the country to teach the public a lesson, where are Rajasthan’s ‘gau rakshaks’?
