New Delhi: “The National Lotus” can truly bloom only by preserving ancient wisdom, natural resources, and biodiversity, experts stressed at a recent national conference on gaushala management.
Organised by the Maharishi Vashistha Institute of Gaushala Management and Research Council (MVIGMRC), the event Bharat Khilta Kamal: Kamdhenu Pehel was held at the Constitution Club of India.
The Council is also producing a feature film, The Other Mother, based on Padma Shri Sudevi Mata Ji (Friederike Irina Bruning), popularly known as the “Mother Teresa of Cows.”
Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, and Panchayati Raj, Prof. S P Baghel lauded the initiative, noting its significance as India resists US dairy imports. He underlined the need to promote indigenous cattle breeds for the socio-economic empowerment of small and landless farmers. Baghel also emphasised IVF innovations to ensure the birth of female calves for better productivity.
India, the world’s largest milk producer, contributes 24 per cent of global output, supporting millions of rural families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated that no policy threatening farmers, fishermen, or cattle rearers will be allowed, a stance reinforced in his Independence Day address.
Dairy trade has emerged as a flashpoint between India and the US, with Washington pushing for market access for cheese, milk powder, and whey protein. India has resisted these demands at the WTO, citing risks to over 80 million farming families. Concerns include cultural sensitivities, livelihood security, and the ban on recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), widely used in US dairy farms but prohibited by the FSSAI.
Looking ahead, the Institute aims to empower rural youth through skill training in gaushala management and para-veterinary services. Its upcoming facilities will include a veterinary hospital, dairy and whey protein plants, herbal park, pharma lab, research centre, and a national Kamdhenu museum, powered by renewable and digital technologies.