Saturday, September 30, 2017

Communist Kerala seeks 200 Gir cows from Gujarat

| TNN | Updated: Sep 28, 2017, 10:15 IST

Highlights

  • Left Democratic Front government of Kerala is trying to strike a deal with BJP-led Gujarat, to procure Gir cows for a breeding centre.
  • Andhra Pradesh, is also mulling over setting up a milch animal breeding centre and has sought Gir cows and Jafrabadi buffaloes from Gujarat.
  • The Gir cow breed is indigenous to the Gir forest and surrounding regions in Saurashtra and is known for its high milk yield.
Andhra Pradesh also wants Gir cows, Jaffrabadi buffaloes.
Andhra Pradesh also wants Gir cows, Jaffrabadi buffaloes.


AHMEDABAD: Despite political temperatures in Kerala rising with clashes between RSS and Communist workers, the Left Democratic Front government of Kerala is trying to strike a deal with BJP-led Gujarat, to procure Gir cows for a breeding centre.

Another southern state, Andhra Pradesh, is also mulling over setting up a milch animal breeding centre and has sought Gir cows and Jafrabadi buffaloes from Gujarat.

The Gir cow breed is indigenous to the Gir forest and surrounding regions in Saurashtra and is known for its high milk yield.

The government of Kerala has sought 200 Gir cows from the Gujarat government as part of its efforts to make the southern state self-sufficient in milk production. A delegation led by K Raju, the Kerala minister for forests, animal husbandry and zoos, recently met Babu Bokhiria, the Gujarat minister of animal husbandry and cow breeding, seeking Gir cows for a breeding centre.

Considering, the menace of gau rakshaks (cow protectors), the Kerala government has also sought assurances of safe passage through Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Bokhiria confirmed that a Kerala delegation had met him with the proposal. "A minister from Kerala had come to meet me, seeking around 200 cows. But they are yet to put forward a final proposal. We cannot sell the cows, but we could give them for free. They, may, however procure the cows from private persons," Bokhiria said.

The Kerala minister, K Raju, said also confirmed that they had sought cows for a breeding centre.

"We have sent a proposal to the Gujarat government regarding Gir cows. We sent the minutes of the Kerala government cabinet meeting to the minister there (in Gujarat)," said Raju.

About the menace of gau rakshaks, he said, "We will definitely take up the issue with the Maharashtra government for safe passage. We are not going to transfer too large a number of cows so there will not be much difficulty."

Similarly, Gir cows and Jafrabadi buffaloes from Gujarat will also soon moo in Chandrababu Naidu's Andhra Pradesh, under its 'Gokul Gram' project. The AP government will set up a breeding and research centre for cows and buffaloes for which AP officials recently met Gujarat ministers, said Vallabh Kathiria, chairman of Gujarat Gauseva and Gauchar Vikas Board.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/communist-kerala-seeks-200-gir-cows-from-gujarat/articleshow/60862159.cms

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