Moo ID: Indian Cows to Get Unique Identification Number to Curb Smuggling

The Indian government will soon provide a unique identity number and tag to all heads of cattle in the country as recommended by an expert panel to prevent the smuggling of the holy cow into Bangladesh.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — According to the recommendations of the expert panel, the Unique Identification Number of the cattle will be in the form of a polyurethane tag which will contain the details of sex, breed, age, height, color, tail, horn type and special marks on the body. Furthermore, the owner of the cattle must also maintain a registration proof which will be transferred to the next owner in case of a sale or transfer of the cattle.

The Indian government will soon issue an advisory to all state governments and Union Territories for compliance.

The cow is considered to be holy by Hindus in India and ever since the right-wing National Democratic Alliance, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), came to power in India, cow protection by several vigilante groups has gathered momentum, which has also put the government in an embarrassing situation on several occasions.

Cattle smuggling is rampant across the India-Bangladesh border in the states of West Bengal and Assam. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has pointed out many security loopholes along the border. The committee had noted that despite various efforts taken by the government, the problem of cattle smuggling still persists along the India-Bangladesh border. In fact, the main cause of border firing is usually cattle smuggling.