The state government of Chhattisgarh will start procuring cow-dung from farmers and cattle owners from 20th July under ‘Gaudhan Nyay Yojana’. It will buy cow-dung at Rs 1.5 per kilogram from the farmers. A committee headed by Agriculture Minister Ravindra Chaubey was set up to fix the price of procuring the rate of cow-dung.
Commissioner, agriculture production, M Geeta said, “On Saturday, the committee decided to purchase cow-dung at Rs 1.5 kg with the aim of preserving & improving cow shedding, promoting production of vermicompost & improving the rural economy”.
She said the cow-dung will be collected door-to-door by the Gaudhan Samiti adding that “The committee also suggested that fortnightly payments must be made to cattle owners and farmers for the procurement”.
Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on 25 June launched ‘Gaudhan Nyay Yojana’ claiming that there has been a tradition of open grazing in the state, which results in loss of crops. He said that the stray cattle lead to road accidents, loss of life & property in cities.
The CM further highlighted the fact that the cows are left after they stop giving milk and hence to make cow rearing a profitable business, the state government has decided to buy cow dung from farmers as well as cattle owners.
The chief minister said, “The purpose of this yojana is to promote cattle rearing in Chhattisgarh and to benefit the cattle owners, who are mostly farmers. Government tried to strengthen the rural economy of the state via ‘Narva, Garuva, Ghuruwa, Badi’ scheme in which we have developed cowsheds in around 2,200 villages of the state. In the next 2-3 months, about 5,000 more cowsheds would be developed. This scheme is an incremental step forward”.
A senior BJP leader & former minister, Ajay Chandrakar told media that “In Chhattisgarh, farmers never sell cow-dung to anybody. I don’t know what is government talking about? Secondly, if the government is buying it, there is no infrastructure and where is the budget? This scheme is not practically possible in the state”.
