UP Begins Pilot Project On Cow Urine Collection, Samajwadi Party Makes Jibe

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has started a pilot project in Bulandshahr to collect cow urine from farmers. This is expected to boost farmers' income, be of help to women who can find an extra mode of earning by collecting cow urine and help maintain cows that no longer produce milk. 

The cow urine collected is expected to be used as a raw material for agricultural purposes and it is hoped that it might come to replace chemical formulations. If the pilot project succeeds, a formal policy will be drawn up and the project will be rolled out across the state.

The opposition Samajwadi Party has taken a dig at the government over this decision, alleging that the BJP is orchestrating a scam to raise funds for the elections.

Fifteen villages in Bulandshahr are involved in the pilot project which is being conducted through an FPO (Farmer Producer Organization) led by Dr Praveen in Narsaina village, located in the Syana tehsil.

Currently, around 500 litres of cow urine are being collected daily. 

There are plans to increase the procurement rate to Rs 20 per litre in the future. Tanks with a capacity of 200 litres have been installed in the villages to store cow urine.

Rural women are playing a significant role in this system. Women who assist in collecting cow urine in the villages are paid a commission of Rs 2 per liter. This has created a new source of additional income for them.

It is reported that the initiative began with the cooperation of around 300 women, all of whom have been made shareholders.

SP says scam

The Samajwadi Party has labelled the cow urine procurement scheme a "scam". 

SP spokesperson Mohammad Azam Khan has alleged that this scam is being orchestrated to raise funds for elections. 

Neither cow shelters nor the cows housed in them are safe in the state, and the scheme will not lead to any development, he alleged.

BJP rebuttal

BJP spokesperson Hero Bajpai remarked that the SP finds fault in every development scheme. 

"They do not seem pleased with the benefits accruing to the very section (the Yadavs) whose politics the Samajwadi Party champions," he said.