The Uttar Pradesh government has announced plans to allocate nearly Rs 4,000 crore for the welfare, protection, treatment, and service of animals, particularly cows.
A spokesperson said that the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy, and Fisheries has devised an annual plan, proposing a budget of Rs 3,907.1 crore for various initiatives on Wednesday.
Of this budget, a total of Rs 1,140 crore will be spent on cow conservation, of which Rs 140 crore will be used to establish cow protection centres, while the remaining Rs 1,000 crore will be given as a grant for the maintenance of stray cows.
Additionally, there is a plan to spend Rs 470.30 crore on veterinary, polyclinics, and service centres. This includes Rs 55 crore for establishing veterinary hospitals, Rs 6 crore for veterinary polyclinics, Rs 4.5 crore for veterinary service centres, and Rs 71 crore to meet various expenses in veterinary hospitals, service centres, research, and diagnostic services.
Other allocations include Rs 36.52 crore for mobile veterinary services, Rs 186.72 crore for the National Animal Health and Disease Control Programme, and Rs 22.50 crore for vaccination programmes.