Explained: How Does A Cow Service Commission Work

Eight years since the decision, the ban on cattle slaughter led many states to set up Cow Service Commissions.

On March 5, 2015, the Modi Government banned slaughtering and consuming cattle meat. Anyone who violates this will end up in jail for a minimum term of five years or have to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000. Though under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act 1976, cow slaughter was already banned, India never had a uniform ban on cattle slaughter or consumption.

Maharashtra forms a Cow Service Commission

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After Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra is now third in a row to form a commission for the protection of cows.

On March 17, 2023, the Maharashtra Cabinet cleared a proposal to set up a cow service commission and implement the 2015 cow laws strictly in the state. The officials have commented that this was done to oversee the betterment of livestock.

Functions of a Cow Service Commission

The Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aaoyog or the National Cow Commission, was also set up in February 2019 with the responsibility of reviewing the state laws related to the protection of cows. The Commission also ensured putting an end to cow slaughter, even in the states where it is still legal. ¡°We will also focus on gau-raksha by reviewing all state laws. We will also ensure that in states where cow slaughter is still legal, shut down. We will issue guidelines for this and also monitor. The Aayog will also promote successful cow rearing practiced with agriculture to increase the income of our marginal farmers, so that our prime minister¡¯s goal of doubling farm income by 2022 is ensured,¡± said Vallabh Kathiria, Chairperson of the Commission. The state commissions are the authorities to whom these goals have been delegated.

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The Maharashtra Gau seva Aaoyog or the Cow Service Commission will look after the rearing of livestock. While keeping a check on the unproductive, unfit for milking, and unfit for breeding or agricultural work, the commission will also stop the cow owners from sending such cows to slaughterhouses.

A fund of Rs. 10 crores is set aside for this commission, led by Eknath Shinde. A bill on the same is said to be placed before the state assembly soon.

The commission will comprise fourteen senior officers who will look after different departments, including animal husbandry, agriculture, dairy, etc. There will be a deputy inspector general of policy, along with other elected members of the commission.

Earlier, too, in 2018, Devendra Fadnavis-led government also proposed a cow protection commission. However, it could not be passed due to the lack of funds.

What does the Opposition have to say about it?

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The opposition has objected to this step, stating that a better model, like that of Chhattisgarh¡¯s, could have been adopted to solve the problem of unproductive cattle. ¡°The farmers have stopped abandoning their non productive cattle after the Chhattisgarh government started buying cow dung and urine directly from them,¡± stated the Congress Chief Nana Patole.

The beef ban is also said to be a hit on the poor as beef was the cheapest source of protein. The beef ban may further lead to new forms of policing, as could be seen elsewhere.