Centre to hold 1st National 'Cow Science' promotion exam on February 25 online

Making a major announcement, the Centre said that it will hold a national 'Cow promotion' exam on 25 February 2021. Addressing a press conference, Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog Chairman Vallabhbhai Kathiria announced that the voluntary exam titled - 'Kamdhenu Gau Vigyan Prachar Prasar Examination' will be held online as 'it will help find unexplored potential and business opportunities a cow can offer, even after it stops giving milk'. He added that the exam will be held online and will last an hour.

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National Cow exam announced

Detailing the contents of the exam, he said that the exam will comprise 100 multi-choice questions in Hindi, English and 12 regional languages, with four categories. Students of primary, secondary, and college levels and general public can take part in the ''Kamdhenu Gau-Vignyan Prachar-Prasar Examination'' without any fee. Kathiria stated that the syllabus will be recommended on the website of the RKA, with results to be declared immediately.

Yogi govt asks all state universities to set up 'Kamadhenu Peeth' for cow 'protection'

Yogi govt asks all universities to constitute 'Kamadhenu Peeth'

This development comes days after the Uttar Pradesh Go-Seva department wrote to all state universities to constitute a 'Kamadhenu Peeth' like the one in Allahabad University. Instructing the universities, the govt has stated that the 'Kamadhenu Peeth' must concentrate on studying better methods to breed cattle, encouraging educating rural students in 'cow protection and promotion'. The government has also claimed that these studies will enhance rural lives and help farmers become 'self-reliant'.

Karnataka passes anti-cattle slaughter bill amid ruckus in Assembly, Cong opposes

The Cow debate

Recently, cows have been heavily politicised by Congress with their UP state president - Ajay Kumar Lallu taking out a "Gai Bachao, Kisan Bachao (save cow save farers)" march on Saturday. Lallu and 50 others were arrested in Lalitpur as they took out the rally without permission and later released. Lallu has claimed that 'cows are dying due to lack of fodder, poor maintenance and cold', in the state-owned cow shelters. Meanwhile, Congress UP General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote to CM Adityanath saying she was ''disturbed" after looking at the pictures of the bodies of "gaumata" from Saujna in Lalitpur.

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In June, the Uttar Pradesh government passed an ordinance for protecting cows called - Cow Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. According to the ordinance, illegal transportation of bovine animals and cow slaughter will attract upto 10 years of imprisonment and up to 5 lakh fine. A similar cow protection ordinance has been passed by Karnataka government, while Madhya Pradesh has set up a 'cow cabinet'. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre to modify its Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act - specifically those rules which allow authorities to seize vehicles used in cattle transportation and send the animals to cow shelters, or face a stay.