![Dr. MPS RAMANI Ph.D.[Tech.]](/img/avatars/my_avatars/84227.jpg)
Article 48 of the Constitution of India says
“The State shall endeavor to organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.”
What is the connection between organizing agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and prohibiting the slaughter of milch and draught cattle?
Draught cattle are used to pull vehicles and plough the fields. When you modernize you will replace bullock carts with motor vehicles and use tractors for pulling the ploughs. So many other agricultural activities for which you use bullocks will also be replaced by machines. In 1950, when the Constitution came into force, the uses of machines in agriculture were almost nil. Now 17 to 18% of the energy requirements in agriculture have been replaced by power or other fuels like diesel. In due course the male calf will become redundant. What will you do with them? Actually modernization on scientific lines and ban on cow slaughter have a negative connection.
Though India is a large milk producer, pet capita milk consumption is less than that in many countries where cows are slaughtered for food.
Article 48 was introduced to protect Hindu sentiments through back-door in a secular Constitution. As it is illogical, the article should be deleted from the Constitution.
I am myself a born vegetarian and do not eat any kind of fish or meat. But I would not say that fishing and killing of all animals should be banned. You ban cow slaughter if you can ban all non-vegetarian food sources. Otherwise allow people to eat and drink what they want so long as they are not drugs.
