India

Central Government proposes Aadhaar like unique identification for cattles; project to cast Rs 148 crore

In a bid to avail better protection of cows and prohibition of smuggling of cattle across India and Bangladesh border, the Centre today in its report to the Supreme Court said each cow and its progeny across India should get a Unique Identification Number (UID).

The Centre told the apex court that a committee headed by Joint Secretary and Home Ministry was formed, which has given certain recommendations in the issue. With an aim to stop cow smuggling, the committe  said the responsibility of safety and care of abandoned animals is mainly of the state government.

“Every district should have a shelter home of the capacity of at least 500 animals for abandoned animals. This will help reduce the smuggling of abandoned animals,” it added. The committee further said special care should be given to cattle beyond the age of milking, adding the animals which stop milking are mainly smuggled outside India.

A report in The Economic Times in January said that nearly one lakh technicians are fanning out across the country since 1 January, and will affix a tag containing a 12-digit unique identification number inside the ear of every single cow and buffalo in the country — all 88 million of them.

The ambitious project will be concluded by the end of this year and comes at a cost of Rs 148 crore.

These “animal Aadhaar cards” will contain the breed and age of the cattle, as well as information about the owner, location and also details about its vaccination. This move comes about a year after Jharkhand embarked upon a similar mission, to trace and tag the 42 lakh cattle it had.

“People should be asked to give information related to movements of animals on roads through toll free helpline numbers,” the Centre’s report added.

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