Hyderabad, July 10 (IANS) The Telangana Cabinet on Thursday decided to constitute a three-member committee headed by the Chief Secretary to develop and manage modern ‘goshalas’ (cow shelters) in the state.

The committee has been asked to submit its report by the next Cabinet meeting.

On the direction of the Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the Animal Husbandry Department has already prepared a presentation and designs of the proposed goshalas. The same was shown in the Cabinet meeting.

It has been decided to develop modern goshalas at Yenkepally in Hyderabad, Veterinary University, Vemulawada and Yadagirigutta.

The Cabinet noted that the state already has 306 goshalas. It decided to prepare a policy document on the registration and management of existing goshalas.

Last month, the government decided to formulate a comprehensive policy for cow protection in the state.

The Chief Minister had directed that a committee be formed to conduct an in-depth study on the establishment of goshalas and also visit other states to study the cow protection policies.

The committee comprised Special Chief Secretary to Animal Husbandry Department Sabyasachi Ghosh, Principal Secretary to Endowments Department Shailaja Ramaiyar and Secretary of the state Agriculture Department Raghunandan Rao.

The Chief Minister had emphasised that the new policy should focus mainly on cow protection in view of the importance of cows in our culture and the sentiments of the devotees.

He was anguished over the spate of deaths of cows donated in large numbers by the devotees to cow shelters due to space constraints and other problems.

With the objective of protecting the cows and overcoming the difficult conditions, the Chief Minister had ordered the officials to construct the cow shelters with state-of-the-art facilities in four places in the state.

It was announced that these cow shelters will be established in sizeable areas in the famous temple of Vemulawada, where devotees donate calves as part of the ‘Kode Mokku’ ritual, Yadagirigutta, Yenkepally near Hyderabad city and at the Veterinary University in the first phase.

–IANS

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