BJP government in Maharashtra re-sends cow protection bill for President's nod

MUMBAI: The BJP government in Maharashtra has resent the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 1995, which seeks to ban cow slaughter, for the President's assent.

Mahesh Phatak, Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department, in a letter dated November 13 has informed the Centre that the new government in the state wanted to follow up the Bill and wanted its enactment.

The letter was in response to a communication from deputy secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking to know if the government was interested in pursuing the Bill, passed way back in 1995 by the state legislature.

Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said the Congress-NCP government never responded to the enquires from the President seeking the state's views on the Bill before giving the assent.

He said he regularly followed up the issue in the Assembly, however the erstwhile government said it had set up a committee to study the Bill and its report was yet to come.