Principles and Techniques of Veterinary and AH Extension

GAUSALAS

• Recognizing the potential of Gaushalas (about 10000) which were engaged in rehabilitation of disowned cattle, the government of India in 1952 set up the Central Council of Govsamvardana (CCG). Some of these gaushalas are providing quality indigenous / cross breds / heifers / bulls at many places like Nasik, Urli, Kanchan, Amirtsar, Indore and Ahmednagar. One gaushala at Bombay has completed a century of devoted work in 1986 and has established two institutes
• One for research and
• Another for fodder research and grassland development.
• The Sabarmathi Ashram gaushala founded in 1915 by Mahatma Gandhi near Ahmedabad is now being managed by NDDB and has a training centre for AI service including embryo transfer.

Objectives

• To preserve the Indian cows and progeny and to breed and upgrade them for supplying plenty of unadulterated milk and milk products to the people and distribute the best female calves to the villagers.
• Prepare best pedigree Indian Bulls and supply to villagers for breeding and upgrading village cows.
• Production of best healthy bullocks for draught work and preserve male calves for distribution to agriculturists.

History

• The Gaushala movement is synonymous with the protection of cows and cattle wealth of our country. Being practiced for the last five thousand years or so, its origin can be traced in the Vedic period when social customs and rules laid great emphasis on protection, preservation and development of cows for home, and oxen for agriculture-fields.
• According to Vedic concepts, cows were considered sacrosanct and constituted material and spiritual assets of the people of the country. At that time, possession of herds of cows was the yardstick for measuring economic esteem and prosperity of an individual.
• The Rishies (Ascetics) maintained Asharam Gaushalas, with hundreds of milking cows, which helped them to offer hospitality to visitors. Cow being the backbone of rural life and economy in India, care was taken for their well-being and upliftment.
• Grazing areas and grasslands were kept reserved in abundance everywhere. People used to donate their lands to Gaushalas on auspicious occasions so that cows may have sufficient land for grazing. Thus the entire culture of ancient India was based on cow.
• It was in 1946 that the Animal Husbandry wing of the ICAR recognised the potentiality of the valuable work done by gausalas & pinjarapoles and recommended a plan to encourage them to be the fountainheads of milk and draught power in the country. They formulated a plan to constitute state-wise federations of Gausalas & Pinjarapoles.
• Although the Gosadans established by the Government could not prove to be successful, the Goshalas and Pinjarapoles managed by the community were still running.
• A report published by the ‘Central Council of Gosamvardhan’, New Delhi under the heading ‘Gaushalas and Pinjarapoles in India’ informs that, during the First Five Year Plan, there were nearly 3,000 Gaushalas and Pinjarapoles spread over the whole country. These institutions maintained over six lakh cattle at an annual cost of Rs. 7 crores.
• It has been realised that, in spite of their drawbacks, these institutions could, with better organisation, very well serve as useful centres for the improvement of cattle and milk production, supplementing Government’s efforts in this direction.