Cow protection: NGT directs Centre to file affidavit

The National Green Tribunal today directed the Ministry of Agriculture to file an affidavit stating details of the minutes of a meeting held to frame a national policy to prevent the "rapid decline" in population of indigenous breeds of cattle across the country.
A bench headed by Acting Chairperson Justice U D Salvi also asked the other stakeholders in the case to place on record their views along with all the material concerned within two weeks.
During the hearing, advocate Sumeer Sodhi, the counsel for petitioner Ashwini Kumar, said that applicant, who was allowed by the tribunal to attend the meeting, did not participate in it and, therefore, he would like to submit his response on the livestock policy.

The matter will now be heard on February 1.
The NGT had earlier directed the governments of West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura to participate in the meeting to frame a national policy.
The green panel had earlier directed the environment ministry and the Department of Animal Husbandry, which falls under the agriculture ministry, to hold a meeting with all the states and Union territories and come out with a common policy on the issue.

It had noted that there was a nearly 80 per cent decline in the animal population in Kerala from 2003 to 2012 and claimed such a situation might lead to the extinction of the species in the state.

The tribunal was hearing a plea against the "looming threat of extinction of indigenous breeds of cattle" in the country.
It had issued a notice to the agriculture ministry on the petition which has also sought a nationwide ban on slaughter of cattle belonging to the indigenous breeds.
It has said that Indian varities of cattle were being replaced by exotic and cross-bred cows imported from Europe, Australia and the United States.