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CATTLE-PRESERVATION:
'MUST' FOR INDIA'S AGRICULTURE
*A note presented by
Shree K.
C. Shroff Chairman of Excel Industries for the consideration of the
national-seminar
continued....from Page1
(e) Thus our cattle,
i.e. cows and bullocks are sum mum bonum of agriculture, giving
us milk as health-giving diet, 
animal power for raught-purposes
and last, but not the least, provide for
urine and dung so essential for keeping the soil in
good
heart. With the discovery of the gobar gas, plenty of
energy
in the shape of methane gas can be had, besides the
slurry, which is a very excellent manure.
Jimmy Carter, the late
American President had rightly observed: 'This is a perennial
source of energy.'
The late Prime Minister Mrs.
Indira Gandhi had on the occasion of the International Energy
Conference held in Nairobi in 1982 had told,"... In this
age of jet planes people refer to bullock-carts as symbols of
the past. However, in India, animals provide more power than
all our powerhouses, whose installed capacity is 22,000 mw.
Replacing them by electricity would entail a further
investment of 25--40 billion dollars, over and above the loss
to the farm-economy of manure and cheap fuel.
In view of
the above mentioned facts, preservation and improvement
of our cattle-wealth is a must for placing agriculture
on sound footing. That is why it was incorporated in the
Constitution of India itself. But unfortunately very
little has been done on this count. This is obvious from
the fact that cattle-slaughter initiated by the
Britishers under the state protection is not only
continuing, but has also assumed galloping proportions.
This is causing ruin to
farming and animal husbandry, the largest of the self-employed
sector. The country has today less than half of the bullocks
required for farming. Cattle-slaughter is being promoted for
export of meat and hides, with no concern for the interests of
the rural population.
While pursuing such a course,
we must pause a bit and reflect over what late Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, who
ushered India into the technological development era, had said
in the Parliament in December 1963: II ...I am no doubt a
great admirer of the modern machines and want our country to
possess latest of technology and best of the machines.
Nevertheless the fact remains that our development has failed
to benefit a very large section of the people and is not
likely to do so for a very long period to come. Under the
circumstances, we will have to adopt some different technique
so that our villagers are participants in production and
growth. We will have to pay greater attention to these poor
villager and do something concrete for them. I feel that
quicker results are not likely to be had, unless some
complimentary industry is added to farming. And I think,
animal husbandry is one such thing that deserves promotion and
it can be supplemented to agriculture."
In our considered opinion. To
save rural India, agriculture must be saved and to save
agriculture, cattle must be saved. Partial ban on slaughter is
of no consequence. The judgment of the Supreme Court in this
regard has proved disastrous for our cattle as we are faced
with a situation in which even the best of cattle after
slaughter are severer times more profitable than alive for use.
To avert such a catastrophic development, a total foolproof
ban on cattle-slaughter is essential. Just as the Government
had to come to rescue of the farmers caught into the clutches
of the money- lenders, it again must run to their rescue and
save their cattle and farming. Since the problem concerns the
fate of entire rural India, a suitable central legislation is
indispensability. Along with, export of meat and beef of any
kind must be forthwith stopped, in absence of which all
cattle- preservation measures will be put to nought.>>>
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