Holy Cow! Adhaar-Like ID for Cows in India Soon
Mangaluru: The central government has, amid debate over vigilantism, on Monday proposed to the Supreme court for providing Adhaar-like unique identification number to cows in India. “Each cow and its progeny across India should get a Unique Identification Number for tracking,” the government said in its report to the apex court. The government has also recommended special care for cattle beyond age of milking, while stressing on launching of a scheme for distressed farmers. The centre also highlighted the issue of cow protection and smuggling of cattle across India-Bangladesh border.
According to sources, the animal husbandry department had assigned technicians to affix a tag with a 12-digit unique identification number inside the ear of cows. As per the report, nearly one lakh technicians have been armed with 50,000 tablets. Their mission is to affix a polyurethane tag on the ears of the cattle with a tag applicator. The yellow-colored tag is fixed in the centre of the ear lobe. Once the tag is fixed, the technician will use a tablet to update the number in an online database and also provide the cattle owner with an “animal health card” recording the UID number, owner’s details, status of periodic de-worming and vaccinations of the animal as well as breeding details.This will help track the cattle along with all relevant details.
It is learnt that the move will help in tagging and tracking cattle so that they are vaccinated on time and scientific intervention is made available for better breeding and increasing milk production, doubling income of dairy farmers in the process by 2022. The Centre has set aside Rs 148 crore for procuring the tags, tag applicators, tablets and health cards.
The government is already facing flak from the Supreme Court for making the Aadhaar card mandatory for various social schemes and availing other services like continuing a mobile phone connection, PAN card, issuing a PAN card, filing income tax returns, and getting a drivers’ licence too. The SC recently rapped the government for violating its previous order of not making Aadhaar card mandatory for any government schemes.
