Allowing beef exports not plan panel’s view.

NAGPUR: The Planning Commission has allayed fears of animal welfare activists on the recent working group report on animal husbandry and dairying (2012-17) recommending to lift ban on beef exports from India.

"The recommendation should not be considered as the view of plan panel," said Surinder Singh, adviser to the planning commission, while talking to TOI from Delhi.

On Monday, Abhishek Kadyan, animal welfare activists led by media adviser of the UN-affiliated International Organisation for Animal Protection ( OIPA) in India, and others delivered a protest petition to Singh against the working group's recommendation lifting ban on beef exports.

Singh said there are over 100-150 working groups for various sectors that keep on making various recommendations. "It is not necessary that the plan panel accepts all such recommendations," Singh made it clear.

"Once the group's recommendations are accepted, a plan document is prepared. It is then forwarded to the steering committee of the government before being forwarded to the National Development Council ( NDC) consisting of state chief ministers," Singh said.

Kadyan says the Constitution clearly underlines the importance of cow and its protection. Article 48 under the directive principles of the state policy for agriculture and animal husbandry reads: "The state shall endeavour to organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds and prohibiting slaughter of cows and calves and other milk and draught cattle."

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com