After several contentious claims made by the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) who was in charge of the syllabus of ‘Kamdhenu Gau-Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Examination’ (National Cow Science examination), the government said in the Lok Sabha that there is “no conclusive information available regarding the difference between the quality of milk" of Indian and foreign breeds of cow.
Among several claims made in the syllabus, one stated that the quality of Indian cow's milk is the best and is "potent in fighting against many diseases." It further said that the milk of Jersey cows was “not at all good” and “contains a poisonous chemical called casomorphine."
Replying to a question in Lok Sabha on March 9, Sanjeev Balyan, the Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying stated in a written reply that “as per the information received from ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), there is no conclusive information available regarding the difference between the quality of milk of foreign breeds of cows and indigenous cattle," the Quint reported.
Other claims by RKA included the milk of Indian cows “is slightly yellow as it contains traces of gold” which is “not the case with Jersey cow." Another one was that the milk of indigenous cows can cure “obesity, joint pain, asthma, mental illness” while the milk of exotic breeds of cows can cause “diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and asthma."
The department of RKA also functions under the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying. It was set up by the Centre in February 2019, and is aimed at “conservation, protection, and development of cows and their progeny."
The exam was slated to be held on February 25 was been postponed with no alternate date announced. Announced in January 2021, the Kamdhenu Gau Vigyan Prachar Prasar Exam was to be a one-hour online examination, with 100 multi-choice questions. This was to be an annual exam, with no fee.
