Govt plans Bill to curb cow slaughter

He was felicitated by the trust for the drive he had conducted to prevent cow slaughter in the state. Addressing the meeting, Pandya said the two-month drive was not a political stunt and the state government was committed to preventing cow slaughter.

"Keeping this in mind, we have made provisions in the Bill that one need not wait for the conviction of a person to book him under PASA. If he is nabbed repeatedly for cow slaughter, he can be booked," Pandya said.

He added that a fine of Rs 50 for illegal slaughter of animals was not enough and would be increased. He said the State Government was in consultation with the Centre for provisions in the Motor Vehicle Act, to seize a vehicle carrying cattle for slaughter.

However, Pandya admitted that a social consensus was necessary regarding the issue. "We had spoken to a group of religious leaders and those involved in slaughtering. They have been requested to stop cow slaughter. But when the Home Department and police make a request, it is as good as a warning," Pandya said.

Union Minister for Finance Yashwant Sinha, who was also present for the occasion, said there was a feeling that agricultural and rural economies were being neglected. "It is true that our knowledge in various fields like software and Information Technology has been recognised by the world and concentration on them is justified. At the same time, we can not neglect the old and rural economy of the country," he said.

Sinha said that the world is returning to a natural lifestyle, which is an element of our religious and cultural fabric. "The West is following us, we need not run after them. United States, Europe and China can not be our models, we will have to design our own model and follow our own path," Sinha said.

Sinha assured the gathering that the country was not bowing down to the pressure of International Monetary Fund, World Bank or the World Trade Organisation (WTO). "In fact, we did not surrender at the WTO meet in Seattle and stood for the entire Third World. However, we have received some decisions in heritage from previous governments and would take time to change them."

Health Minister Ashok Bhatt announced that the state government would conduct a Lok Adalat in Gandhinagar to tackle various issues related to gaushalas in the State. He informed the gathering that the State would also award three best cattle pens in the state. Nonetheless, he admitted that the next three to four months were critical for cattle in the state.

Meanwhile, in a memorandum to the state government on behalf of the cattle, the trust, among other things, raised the critical issue of availability of grazing land. The memorandum stated that presently only 10 lakh bigha was available for grazing, of the 60 lakh provided by the Government. Forty lakh bigha was encroached upon, while 10 lakh bigha was left redundant due to growth of Acacia, the memorandum stated.