Make cow protection centres self-reliant, Adityanath tells officials

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officials to take concrete steps to make cow protection centres self-reliant and advocated for the use of cow dung-based natural paint in government buildings.

He emphasised that animal husbandry and dairy development formed a vital pillar of Uttar Pradesh's rural economy as avenues for livelihood, nutrition security and women's empowerment.

Reviewing the functioning of the animal husbandry and dairy development department, the chief minister called for greater use of technology, investment and innovation.

"Concrete steps should be taken to make cow protection centres self-reliant. Cow dung-based natural paint should be used in government buildings, along with scaling up its production," he was quoted as saying in a statement.

Adityanth was informed that 11.49 lakh cows were being sheltered in 7,693 'gau ashray sthals' and monitored through CCTV camera footage and inspections.

He instructed the officials to ensure the deployment and timely payment of caretakers, establishment of husk banks and adequate supply of water, green fodder and bran.

He also directed the officials to provide cows to poor families without livestock under the Mukhyamantri Nirashrit Govansh Sahyogita Yojana, which aims to promote cow service and enhance household nutrition through milk availability.

Adityanath proposed divisional-level competitions for indigenous cow breeds and recognising exemplary 'gau ashray sthals'. He also suggested competitions for organisations manufacturing cow products to encourage innovation and excellence.

The officials informed the chief minister that encroachments had been removed from 40,968.29 hectares of pasture land, of which 12,168.78 hectares had been dedicated to green fodder production.

"This initiative is also generating rural employment, with women self-help groups actively involved. A total of 21,884 'gausevaks' have been trained and deployed. In Bareilly, the establishment of organic manure and cow urine processing plants, in collaboration with IFFCO, is progressing at large cow conservation centres," they said.

For the 2025-26 fiscal, the target is to establish 4,922 cooperative milk societies, the officials said.