Gau Kalyan Cess Imposed by Yogi Adityanath Led UP Government to Protect Stray Cow, Alcohol Prices May Rise
The cabinet, headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, cleared the proposal to impose Gau Kalyan cess on Tuesday.
Lucknow, January 2: The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday imposed a Gau Kalyan cess, a 0.5 per cent additional levy on excise items, in order to collect fund for the protection of stray bovines and maintaining cow shelters in the state. The cabinet, headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, cleared the proposal to impose Gau Kalyan cess. Prices of alcohol may rise following the imposition of the news cess.
Uttar Pradesh is facing a severe stray bovine problem following a crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses. Moreover, ageing cattle are being abandoned after several incidents of lynching of those suspected to be smuggling, transporting or consuming cow meat. Farmers have been complaining that stray cows often enter their fields and destroy crops. The state government introduced the Gau Kalyan cess to thwart this situation. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath Instructs Officials to 'Ensure Shelter for Stray Cows'.
An additional cess of 0.5 per cent will be levied on toll tax collected by government agencies, and on profits made by public sector enterprises and construction companies. The department will hold a meeting to finalise the items on which the new cess will be levied. The state government is expected to earn an additional Rs 34 crore through Gau Kalyan cess. The government also decided to raise the levy on mandi cess from 1 per cent to 2 per cent. Aligarh Cops to Adopt Stray Bovines After Farmers Protest Damage to Crops.
CM Yogi Adityanath allocated Rs 100 crore to local bodies for construction and maintenance of cow shelters. Besides, the local bodies are directed to allocate a separate fund in their budgets for the same cause. The government will also construct temporary cow shelters utilising MNREGA and MLA and MP funds. Those who will abandon their cattle at public places and roads will be penalised, said the government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma.
The move comes days after over 700 stray cows were locked up inside a government school and primary health centre in Gorai area of the district by farmers on December 24 and 25 to save their crops from being damaged by the cattle. "The cows are destroying our crops. For long, we have been demanding cow shelters from the government but no action is being taken," a farmer had said.
Last week, the district authorities had to deal with locals, mostly belonging to villages falling under Iglas and Khair tehsils, driving away the stray cattle to compounds of different government buildings, including schools and hospitals. Several schools in the area were reportedly closed as farmers turned the compounds into temporary cow shelters.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2019 08:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).