New Delhi: With the stray cattle menace a major issue in Uttar Pradesh, a Lok Sabha MP from the Samajwadi Party has given a notice seeking to introduce a private members’ bill in the Lower House that proposes measures to tackle the problem and compensation for the affected.
The Stray Animals Control Bill, 2024 by Dhaurahra MP Anand Bhadauria is among the 83 private members’ bills for which notices of ‘motion for leave to introduce’ have so far been received by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
The list was released in a bulletin of the House.
These private members’ bills are likely to be taken up in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, which is usually held in December. All these notices were received by the Lok Sabha Secretariat between June 18 to August 16.
According to sources, the Bill provides for controlling the problem of stray cattle, as well as for compensation in case of loss of life or damage to crops.
The source said the bill raises concern about the menace of stray cattle and losses faced by farmers, as well as deaths and accidents caused by them.
To stop stray cattle from destroying crops, the Bill provides for government assistance to farmers for fencing their fields, where the state will pay half of the cost for fencing.
It also provides for compensation in case of stray cattle destroying crops, and a Rs 10 lakh compensation to next of kin if a person is killed by a stray animal, said a source.
The issue of stray cattle causing destruction to crops and attacking people has emerged as a major issue in Uttar Pradesh and was also raised during the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections in UP by the Samajwadi Party.
According to the 2019 Livestock Census, there are over 1.90 crore cattle in Uttar Pradesh, including 62,04,304 milch cows and 23,36,151 dry cows. The numbers are expected to have grown.
Meanwhile, another private member’s bill mentioned in the list aims at the protection of cow and cow progeny.
Lumba Ram, BJP MP from Jalore, Rajasthan, has given a notice to introduce The Indigenous Cow and Cow Progeny Protection Board Bill, 2024.
Among other bills mentioned in the list, IUML MP from Kearals’ Malappuram ET Mohammed Basheer has given notice for a bill for Prevention of Mob Lynching, while Shiromani Akali Dal MP from Bathinda, Punjab, Harsimrat Kaur Badal has given notice for a bill for Minimum Support Price Guarantee.
