Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The cow scheme

The article "Till the cows come home" (Nov. 23) on the plight of the poor farmers of Vidharbha who were generously gifted cows was an eye-opener. What we lack is proper planning. Before implementing schemes, those responsible should undertake a study on how and whether the scheme will be of any help to the people. Had the authorities concerned taken into account the conditions prevalent in Vidharbha, things would not have come to such a pass.

Anupama Joseph,
Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

The article exposes the callous attitude of the policymakers towards the poor. It is clear that governments are not sincere about addressing their problems. The cow scheme has inflicted a loss on both the farmers and the government.

Also, by giving the farmers who do not have enough for themselves cows to maintain, the Maharashtra Government has inflicted dual damage — neither the cow nor the farmers have enough to eat. Any plan must take into account the needs of the target group.

Durga Prasad Dash,
Ganjam, Orissa

* * *

As observed in many evaluation studies, rearing cows requires the provision of both backward (training, fodder, water, animal healthcare) and forward linkages (marketing, transporting, pricing). Cowsheds are also important for providing safe shelter to the animal. The Government's act of gifting cows to the poor without ensuring these inputs was bound to result in disaster, not their revival.

V. Rengarajan,
Chennai

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Behind the north Bengal blast
Last chance for the Doha round
The healthcare tourism conundrum
BJP ups the ante on Arunachal Pradesh
Western media and the Iraq invasion
Corrections and clarifications
Syria's allies have been the losers
Different spoken languages and the Internet
Friends and partners
Shameful indeed
The cow scheme
Agrarian crisis
Women's Bill
Youth brigade

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu