'Gau Seva emerging as model for economic prosperity, self-reliance’

Lucknow: UP govt on Wednesday said that ‘Gau Seva’ (service to cows) was no longer confined merely to religious faith but has emerged as a robust economic model that is injecting new momentum into the state’s rural economy.A state govt spokesperson said that the rapid expansion witnessed in the dairy sector has not only led to a significant increase in the incomes of farmers and the youth but has also generated sustainable employment opportunities in rural areas.Additional chief secretary, animal husbandry department, Mukesh Meshram, said that Uttar Pradesh has achieved a record-breaking milestone in the field of milk production. He said UP has currently emerged as the largest milk-producing state in the country. UP’s share in the country’s total milk production has now crossed 16%, surpassing states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.For the first time, young people have been integrated into the economic mainstream by connecting them with the dairy sector. Meshram said that this growth is the result of planned development. He added that this surge in the dairy sector has become a symbol of Uttar Pradesh’s changing landscape. “With rising incomes, young people are no longer migrating from their villages,” he said.Initiatives such as the “Mini Nandini Krishak Samriddhi Yojana” and the “Nand Baba Milk Mission” have successfully translated this transformation into reality at the grassroots level.“Modern dairy units are now being established locally across rural areas. This has not only boosted milk production but has also created employment opportunities in allied sectors such as animal feed production, transportation, milk collection and marketing,” the spokesperson said.He said that young entrepreneurs were establishing dairy units, thereby generating employment not only for themselves but for others as well. In the villages, the practice of ‘Gau Seva’ is now emerging as a new model for economic prosperity and self-reliance.The animal husbandry department in Uttar Pradesh is making rapid efforts to increase the availability of green fodder for farmers, livestock rearers and grazing lands. Under this initiative, Napier grass root slips, berseem and sorghum fodder seeds are being distributed among farmers and livestock rearers.Meshram, said that the state govt aims to ensure year-round availability of nutritious and affordable green fodder for animals, which will help reduce farmers’ costs and increase milk production.