In order to raise public awareness about the significance of cows, Yogi Adityanath, chief of India's Uttar Pradesh state, has suggested branding products made from cow dung and urine and linking them to the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector to generate employment.
“If we can brand products made out of cow dung and urine and sell them through the MSME sector, we can generate employment for the youth. This is a golden opportunity and we should not waste it", he said.
Under zero budget farming, the project would promote the conservation and promotion of cows. The products made from cow dung and urine would not only increase employment opportunities, but youth would be linked with entrepreneurship, the state chief has said.
According to 2017-2018 data of the National Sample Survey Organisation, Uttar Pradesh has the highest unemployment rate in India.
This is not the first time that a politician from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party has suggested using cow waste as a consumer product.
Last month, the Narendra Modi government invited research proposals under its programme the "Scientific Utilisation through Research Augmentation Prime Products from Indigenous Cows".
As per the government proposal, the Ministry of Science and Technology invited research on the uniqueness of pure indigenous Indian cows, including products for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, as well as the development of products such as mosquito repellent, floor cleaner, hair oil, shampoo, etc.
The programme notification suggested that certain investigations had shown the effective development of an anti-dandruff poly-herbal hair conditioner based on cow urine.
On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh government suggested that youths who bring in 100 stray cattle a month would get a commission and that this would provide unemployed people with jobs.