NEW DELHI (AFP): The BJP-led Indian government will hold a mass nationwide online ‘cow science’ exam next month, in the latest push by the nationalist government to promote and protect the sacred animal
The free “Kamdhenu Gau-Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Examination” is an initiative by the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA), a government body set up for cow welfare in February 2019. It comes under the Indian Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
The hour-long test on February 25, open to children and adults as well as foreigners, comprises 100 multiple-choice questions in Hindi, English and 12 regional languages.
“The aim is to assess the public’s knowledge and ‘sensitise and educate’ them. Results will be immediately declared on the website, while certificates will be given to all. Successful meritorious candidates will be given prizes and certificates,” the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said.
RKA chief Vallabhbhai Kathiria said, “The cow is full of science and economics. People are not aware of the true economic and scientific value of the animal.” Accompanying study material released by the RKA includes information on different breeds of cow as well as the theory that slaughtering animals causes earthquakes.
Many from India’s overwhelming Hindu majority consider cows sacred but under Modi’s rule the animal has increasingly become a political and sectarian flashpoint. His government has made cows a top priority and invested millions of dollars in programmes to protect the animal.
Cow slaughter and eating beef has become illegal in many parts of the culturally diverse and officially secular country, while sentences elsewhere have increased. There have been a string of attacks by vigilante groups on minorities and low-caste people who have traditionally eaten beef.
