BHOPAL: With the year-end polls being just six months away in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP government continued to announce and bank votes on welfare initiatives.
On a wide array of initiatives for women and youth, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Monday, announced ambulance services for cows and other cattle in the state.
Chouhan was addressing a Mahavir Jayanti program in Amarkantak (Anuppur).
"One ambulance each is being run in every development block of the state, in which arrangements for a doctor and compounder have also been made. 407 animal ambulances have arrived in the state. People can dial 1962 to avail of this service," he added.
He also informed the gathering about the buy and consume facility (Ahatas) at liquor shop premises having been shut down across the state from April 1, besides informing about harsher measures being put in place to deal with the menace of drunk driving.
While gracing the Acharya Sri Vidyasagar Jeev Daya Award event in Amarkantak, the CM distributed prizes to the best cow shelters, gau-bhakts and Pashu Sevaks of the state.
Jain religious guru Bal Brahmachari Vinay Bhaiya said that the MP government is doing excellent work in the field of kindness to animals and gau-seva. “Today, tractors and harvesters have taken the place of oxen in agriculture. Due to this, cow shelters are facing a food crisis.”
He suggested that the state government evolve such a system where the farmers don’t burn narwai (stubble) after cultivation, but instead give the straw to cow shelters.
Addressing the event, the chairman of MP Cow Promotion Board, Mahamandaleshwar Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri said there are 1758 active cow shelters housing 2.87 lakh cattle in the state. The government has made adequate provisions in the budget for gauseva. This year, an amount of Rs 202.53 has been distributed to cow shelters.
Importantly, the Jain community has a significant presence in multiple states, including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. In MP particularly, the Jain voters hold the key on many assembly seats in Malwa-Nimar, Bundelkhand and central MP regions.