Once the land is allotted, the Government will also provide for the fodder. The only condition is that the NGO has to be affiliated to the Madhya Pradesh Gopalan Evam Pashudhan Samvardhan Board, a body whose ex-officio chairman is the Chief Minister and the ex-officio vice-chairman is the Minister for Animal Husbandry.

There are more than 23,000 gram panchayats in the state, but only 650 voluntary organisations are affiliated to the Bhopal-based board. Very few among those registered with the board have a good track record.

The board’s executive committee chairman Meghraj Jain told The Indian Express that there were close to 1,000 organisations, but the number had come down after they were de-registered. The crackdown had been a result of a number of complaints against the organisations that they were running only for Government facilities, with little regard for the cow. They had been told that they would get grants only if they managed the organisation for six months on their own.

According to the Cabinet’s latest decision, the allotment of land could range from a minimum of one acre to ten acres depending on the number of cows looked after by the organisation.

Government sources said that only one cowshed could be set up in every panchayat, and that too only if the land was available. The board, however, is under the impression that land reserved for grazing will be given on lease to the organisation, with a clear instruction not to use it for any other purpose.

The ruling BJP’s concern for the cow is not new. On assuming power in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP Government’s first Cabinet decision was to impose a total ban on slaughter of cows and its progeny. Since then, the Government has made several announcements but only few of them have been implemented.

Jain claimed he had his own doubts about how many organisations would actually come forward to claim benefits from the latest initiative.

Allotment of land will be preceded by a thorough scrutiny of the applicant and the facilities on offer to screen unscrupulous elements, he said.

Officers from the Animal Husbandry Department will help the staff in the district collector’s office to find out whether the organisation is eligible.