WHERE THE COWS RULE

The by-election victory behind him, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan got down to the serious business of governance.

- Rahul Noronha

The by-election victory behind him, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan got down to the serious business of governance. And one of his first decisions was the formation of a ‘cow cabinet’ in MP. Social media may have erupted in memes, many wondering if the ‘gau (cow) cabinet’ alluded to the ‘simple’ ruminative nature of its members, but as home minister Narottam Mishra put it, the “cow’s welfare is supreme for the MP government”.

For now, the ‘cow cabinet’ will have as members chief minister Chouhan, Mishra, agriculture minister Kamal Patel, rural development minister M.S. Sisodia, animal husbandry minister Prem Singh Patel and forest minister Vijay Shah. “The gau cabinet will help speed up decision-making on the welfare and protection of cows and the setting up of more gaushalas (cattle shelters). In the first phase, 4,000 gaushalas will be set up across the state,” says Mishra.