Modi reminds UP: Cow is 'mother & sacred', crores of livelihoods depend on cattle

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the cow is “mother and sacred” to many people, and those who find this a “sin” do not realise that the livelihood of crores of people depends on cattle.

The PM was addressing a rally after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of 27 projects worth ₹2,095 crore in Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, just months ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Taking a jibe at rival parties, Modi said that those making jokes on cows and buffaloes forget that the livelihood of crores of people depends on livestock.

In an apparent attack on the Samajwadi Party, Modi said their dictionary contains “mafiavad” and “parivarvad”.

“For us, the priority is sabka saath, sabka vikas,” the PM said.

This is Modi’s second visit to his constituency in the past 10 days. Earlier, he had inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in the city.

The PM laid the foundation stone of Banas Dairy Sankul in Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority Food Park, Karkhiyaon, after arriving in Varanasi in the morning.

Spread across 30 acres, the dairy will be built at a cost of about ₹475 crore and process about 5 lakh litres of milk per day, according to officials.

The Prime Minister digitally transferred a bonus of about ₹35 crore to bank accounts of more than 1.7 lakh milk producers associated with the dairy.

He also the laid foundation stones for a biogas-based electricity generation plant and a homoeopathic medical college.

Also read: PM Modi opens Phase I of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi

Modi also inaugurated multiple urban development projects, including six for the redevelopment of Old Kashi wards, a parking-and-surface park at Beniabag, beautification of two ponds, a sewage treatment plant, and provisioning of advanced surveillance cameras at 720 locations under the Smart City Mission.

Projects in the education sector inaugurated by the Prime Minister include the Union Education Ministry’s Inter University Centre for Teachers’ Education, built at a cost of around ₹107 crore, and a teachers’ education centre at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, built at a cost of over ₹7 crore.

He inaugurated a project comprising a doctors’ hostel, a nurses’ hostel and a shelter home, built for ₹130 crore, at Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre, a 50-bed Integrated Ayush Hospital at Bhadrasi.

(With inputs from Agencies)