Here is how Tamil Nadu use Kerala to steal central funds worth crores

KOTTAYAM: A big lobby is reaping profits by smuggling cows from Kerala to Tamil Nadu under the guise of the central government's Rashtriya Gokul Mission scheme for dairy farms. In the scheme, Rs 4 crore will be allocated for rearing up to 200 cows, with Rs 2 crore as central subsidy and Rs 2 crore as bank loan. The farm should be in five acres of land.

In Kerala, prices are high and land availability is low. Cow farming is not profitable due to high cost and low production efficiency. Many are forced to sell their cows. The complaint is that since enough land is available in Tamil Nadu at a low price, the lobby from there is buying low productivity cows from Kerala and grabbing the subsidy. Due to the decrease in the number of cows, milk production in Kerala has also decreased.

Buying cows from Kerala

Cows that produce low quantity of milk are available in Kerala at prices starting from Rs 25,000. In Tamil Nadu the price is up to Rs.1 lakh. As cow farming is profitable, it is high in demand. This is the reason to buy more cows from Kerala.

The State Dairy Department provides subsidized loans for cattle rearing through the Milk Shed Development Program (MSDP). Cattle should be bought from outside to prevent fraud. Realizing that farmers are forced to sell these cows as the they die due to low immunity, the Tamilnadu lobby is buying such cows and stealing the central subsidy.