Cow-dung ‘diyas’, idols of Lakshmi, Ganesh this Diwali

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, October 12

To help ‘gaushalas’ and cattle farmers struggling due to Covid-19 pandemic and also counter Chinese products, the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog has decided to promote ‘diyas’ made of cow dung this Diwali, targeting    production of 33 crore eco-friendly earthen lamps.

 Set up in 2019 for the protection, promotion and conservation of indigenous cattle in the country, the Aayog has started a nation-wide campaign to encourage use of cow dung-based products during the forthcoming festival.

 Rejecting China-made diyas, the campaign will also boost ‘Make in India’ concept of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ‘swadeshi movement’, chairman Vallabhbhai Kathiria said on Monday.

Besides ‘diyas’, the Aayog is promoting production of other products made from dung, urine and milk, such as anti-radiation chip, paper weights, Ganesha and Lakshmi idols, incense sticks, candles, wall-piece, paper-weight, havan samagri, etc.

More than 15 states have agreed to be part of the campaign.

About 3 lakh ‘diyas’ will be lit in the holy city of Ayodhya, and 1 lakh in Varanasi, he said, adding that about 192 crore kilo of cow dung per day is produced in India at present.

“There is huge untapped potential in cow dung-based products. In our view the sow-centric economy can also help in achieving this goal by making its own humble contribution,” Kathiria added

The Aayog will not directly be involved in production of cow dung-based products but is facilitating and offering training to self-help groups and entrepreneurs seeking to set up business.

Kathiria said the initiative would help cow shelters, which are currently in financial trouble due to the COVID-19 pandemic, become self-reliant besides creating job opportunities in rural India.

He said a group of students from IIT-Delhi had come out with an online platform for marketing ‘diyas’ made of cow dung and already placed an order for nearly one crore ‘diyas’.

Many NGOs are coming forward to supply moulds for making these ‘diyas’ and also distributing pre-mix materials used in making them to farmers.

The Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog was constituted  by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the conservation, protection and development of cows and their progeny and for giving direction to the cattle development programmes.

It is a high-powered permanent body to formulate policy and to provide direction to the implementation of schemes related to cattle so as to give more emphasis on livelihood generation.

Livestock economy sustains nearly 73 million households in rural areas.

Even though, the country is largest producer of milk, the average milk yield in India is only 50 per cent of the world average. The low productivity is largely due to deterioration in genetic stock, poor nutrition and unscientific management.

The trend needs to be reversed and popular perception about cow and cow-based agriculture and cow-based industry need to be corrected immediately for social and economic rejuvenation of society, particularly poor in rural areas, he said.