Madhya Pradesh government is considering imposing cow cess on petrol, diesel and LPG, which will hike the prices of fuels and cooking gas in the state. Through this, the state hopes to earn at least Rs 200 crore annually, which will be used towards the welfare of cows.
According to a report by TOI, the animal husbandry department made the proposal for cow cess, citing examples of other states such as Punjab, Rajasthan, UP and Haryana. Once approved by the state department, the cost of petrol and diesel will spike by 15 paise per litre and Rs 10 per cooking gas cylinder.
The cow cess alone is likely to generate Rs 200 crore annually. It is estimated that at least Rs 120 crore will be generated annually with the cow cess on petrol and diesel and Rs 83 crore is expected to come from LPG cylinders.
CM backs the proposal
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is backing the proposal, who used Indian culture as the reason to impose cow cess. His call for approval from others on the proposed tax was met with positive response.
"We used to feed the first 'roti' (baked in households) to cows. Similarly, we used to feed the last roti to dogs. Such was the concern for animals in Indian culture which is vanishing now, so we are thinking to collect some small tax from the public for the sake of cows," Chouhan said.
