HYDERABAD: The state government on Tuesday announced the Goshala Ecosystem Development Policy 2025, a comprehensive framework aimed at reimagining cattle shelters as centres of rural livelihood, environmental sustainability and animal welfare.
At present, goshalas across the state are grappling with the problems of overcrowding, weak infrastructure and precarious finances where feed costs consume nearly 80% of operational budgets.
Most of these centres are also concentrated in urban areas, often in violation of Central Pollution Control Board norms, limiting their productive potential.
The new policy seeks to address these systemic issues through a hub-and-spoke model. Urban goshalas will be repurposed as temporary collection points, holding cattle for only 48 to 72 hours before transferring them to large satellite facilities in rural areas.
The policy document, authored by Special Chief Secretary of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development & Fisheries department Sabyasachi Ghosh, estimated that each satellite goshala, designed for 500 animals, is projected to generate 30 to 40 direct jobs and 75 to 100 indirect employment opportunities, contributing an estimated `2.5 crore annually to the local economy.
The initiative is expected to create a total of 3,000 jobs and benefit over 15,000 farmer families by supplying affordable organic inputs, the government stated in a press statement.
The proposed Telangana State Goshala Welfare Board will be an autonomous statutory body, with companies contributing at least `1 crore annually being offered non-executive membership, ensuring corporate participation while retaining public oversight.
District and mandal-level committees, along with a federation of goshalas, will support local implementation.
On financial sustainability, the government plans a blended approach combining grants, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions, and revenue generation.
Goshalas will produce panchgavya products such as bio-fertilisers and pesticides, renewable energy through biogas and solar plants and value-added products under the unified brand “Telangana Gau Amrit.”