Author: Our Staff Correspondent
Publication: The Hindu
Date: December 13, 2003
URL: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/00113104590.htm
The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Friday
decided to impose a complete ban on cow slaughter, a promise made by the
Bharatiya Janata Party before the elections.
Presided over by the Chief Minister,
Uma Bharti, the Cabinet also decided to reinstate thousands of retrenched
daily wage earners, wind up the district governments and bring the Narmada
water to Bhopal.
Ms. Bharti had announced during
her election campaign that once she came to power, a decision would be
taken at her very first Cabinet meeting to impose a complete ban on cow
slaughter. Similarly, she had emphasised that a decision would also be
taken at the meeting to reinstate thousands of daily wage earners appointed
after December 31, 1988, clear the Narmada water supply scheme for Bhopal
and abandon the system of district governments that had been imposed on
the Panchayati Raj system by the Digvijay Singh Government.
The BJP Government has also decided
to equip the cow sheds for taking care of sick and ailing cows.
The Cabinet has suspended with immediate
effect the powers given to the district planning boards under the concept
of district governments from 1999. It decided to reinstate the daily wage
earners removed after December 31, 1988. A committee of senior Ministers
has been formed to complete all formalities for the purpose.