‘SEX SORTED SEMEN’ SCHEME

Dec. 4, 2018

The Uttar Pradesh government has approved a ‘Sex Sorted Semen’ scheme, to tackle the growing menace of stray bulls by reducing the numbers of ‘unproductive’ cattle by curbing their birth.

About:

P. government approved a ‘Sex Sorted Semen’ scheme, under which chances of cows delivering a female calf are as high as 90-95%.
Objectives:
- The aim of the project is two-fold: to increase the productivity of cows and to decrease the number of unproductive male cattle.
- This will provide a permanent solution to the stray cattle menace in the next 2-4 years. With a 90% fall in the number of male calves, “there will be lesser number of unproductive animals, which will bring down the number of stray and destitute cattle.
- This will further bring down the damage to crops and the number of road accidents caused by the animals.
Salient Features:
- The scheme would be implemented on indigenous breeds, such as Sahiwal, Gir, Haryanvi, Tharparkar and Gangatiri.
- To avail of the scheme, cattle-breeders would have to pay ₹300 per conception, while in the drought-prone region of Bundelkhand, this levy would only be ₹100.
Coverage: After successfully testing the scheme as a pilot project in three districts (Etawah, Lakhimpur Kheri and Barabanki), the government has now decided to launch it in all the 75 districts of U.P.
Background:
- The practice of ‘Amnapratha’, or the letting loose of unproductive cattle, is a common practice in Bundelkhand.
- The U.P. Government also claims that the number of stray cattle heads had increased only because the government had, since March 2017, strictly implemented anti-cow slaughter laws and shut illegal slaughterhouses.