New Delhi. As per the Article 246(3) of Constitution of India, preservation, protection and improvement of stock and prevention of animal diseases; veterinary training and practice is a State subject. As per Article 243(W) of Constitution of India, the local bodies are responsible for cattle pounds and pinjrapole. Therefore, the State may also endow panchayats to establish and run Cattle Pounds (Kanji Houses)/ Gaushala Shelters (community assets) to keep stray cattle. Many States have established Gaushalas and Shelter houses for stray cattle and provide for feeding of those animals to overcome the problems of stray bovines. The Government of Haryana has informed that the following steps have been taken by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and the Haryana Gau Seva Aayog:-
i) The Gaushalas in the State, which are primarily managed by NGOs, are providing food & shelter to stray cattle in the State. To strengthen these institutions, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying is providing financial assistance to the Gaushalas in the form of Grant-in-Aid for purchase of fodder.
As a result, the number of registered Gaushalas in the State has increased from 525 to 683, during the last five years.
ii) The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying started a special campaign for Rehabilitation of Stray Cattle in January, 2024. Till date, 36,641 stray cattle have been shifted to 194 Gaushalas. To encourage the Gaushalas to rehabilitate the stray cattle, an enhanced amount of grant for the fodder has been provided to these Gaushalas.
iii) To encourage the Gaushalas for rehabilitation of stray cattle, State Government constituted the Special Cow Protection Task Force (SCPTF) for every districts and a state level Special Cow Protection Task Force committee vide notification no. 2062(CFMS)–AH-4-2021/4633 dated 20.07.2021.
iv) The State Government established two Gau Abhayaran, each with a capacity to house 5000 cattle, in Village Nain (District Panipat) and Village Dhandoor (District Hisar) with an expenditure of Rs. 800.00 Lakh. Approximately, 5500 stray cattle have been rehabilitated in these Abhyaran so far.
The Central Government has not conducted an evaluation the effectiveness of the cow shelters. However, the Government of Haryana has reported Various measures that demonstrate the effectiveness of cow shelters and other initiatives for managing stray cattle as following:-
The number of cows housed in the Gaushalas has increased from 3,25,977 in December 2019 to 4,05,115 in December 2024.
The number of Gaushalas that have offered shelter and protection to cows has increased from 525 in December 2019 to 683 in December 2025.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has opened 14 Govt. Veterinary Hospitals and 12 Govt. Veterinary Dispensaries in various Gaushalas of the state for preservation, treatment and protection of cattle.
As a protective initiative of stray cattle, Govt. has started vigorous rehabilitation of stray cattle campaign in last year which is still going on. During this period 36,641 stray cattle has been rehabilitated in Gaushalas.
There has been large decrease in number of stray cattle in the state.
The Govt. has provided financial assistance for cow shelters and made provisions for financial grants for feed and fodder to the needed Gaushalas.
The State Government has also made provisions to release grants for fodder and water for 270 days, at a rate of ₹44 per day for large animals and ₹22 per day for small animals and their progeny. Additionally, grants are being provided for bulls for 12 months to support their upkeep in Nandi shalas. Special provisions have also been made for disabled, visually impaired, and blind cattle for the entire year. From the financial year 2025-26, the State Government has decided to increase these grants to further strengthen the initiative.
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