Raipur: Chattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel distributed Rs. 15.29 crores on the occasion of third anniversary of Gaudhan Nyay Yojana. This will be the 73rd installment under the scheme. With this, a total of Rs. 541.66 crores have been paid to the beneficiaries.
A total of Rs. 5 crores and 60 lakhs to cattle rearing farmers and Rs 9 crores 69 lakhs to women from self-helped groups and Gauthan Samiti. The role of self-supporting Gauthans in the purchase of cow dung is continuously increasing. Out of the payment of Rs. 5.60 crores to cow dung vendors, only Rs. 2.29 crores will be paid by the government, while Rs. 3.31 crores shall be paid by the self-employed Gothans from their own funds.
Earlier on March 20, the Chhattisgarh government announced its plans to procure cattle urine from cattle owners to augment their income, officials said, underlining that the move will lead to better cow protection. The state government is already buying cow dung from breeders and farmers to make cattle rearing profitable. “The cattle urine will be procured in the same manner as cow dung procured by the Chhattisgarh government. We will procure cattle urine through Gram Gauthan (cattle shed) Samiti and fortnightly payments will be made to cattle owners and farmers for the procurement,” said Pradeep Sharma, advisor to chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.
On June 25th, 2020, Baghel launched ‘Gaudhan Nyay Yojana’ for procurement of cow dung to curb instances of farmers abandoning old cows that cause road accidents, loss of life and property. The government also directed the urban administration department to make arrangements to prevent stray animals. In 20 months, Sharma said, the state government has procured about 6.4 million quintals of cow dung and produced two million lakh quintals of organic vermicompost.