oppn parties HP: Tipplers To Pay For Cow Welfare

News Snippets

  • Congress calls Election Commission's affidavit in the SC saying all decisions were taken unanimously as 'deceptive, deceitful and duplicitous'
  • Petitioners ask Supreme Court to order preservation of Election Commission's files and notings related to SIR
  • At least 89,000 people have been evacuated from vulnerable coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Arnab intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal. The IMD forecast landfall on Wednesday morning with sustained winds of 115–125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph, while 53 train services were listed for cancellation on October 27 and 28
  • Authorities deployed hundreds of additional security personnel in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang Valley following violent protests against the proposed 11,200-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project near the Chinese border. Opponents fear the dam would submerge ancestral lands belonging to the Adi tribal community, while the project is also intended to address concerns arising from China’s planned upstream hydropower dam
  • The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre on the Digital News Publishers Association’s challenge to provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and its rules. The publishers argue that the absence of a specific journalistic exemption could undermine investigative reporting and expose confidential sources; the matter is scheduled for further hearing on November 17
  • The Supreme Court gave petitioners additional time to respond to the Election Commission’s affidavit defending decisions connected with the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and fixed November 17 for the next hearing. The court also issued notice on a separate petition by Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen concerning alleged changes to Form 6 used for voter registration
  • The Bombay High Court quashed an FIR against a Pune college student who was arrested over an Instagram repost related to Operation Sindoor. The case arose from a social-media post concerning the 2025 India-Pakistan tensions
  • A Reuters poll of economists projected India’s GDP growth to slow from 7.7% in fiscal 2025–26 to 7.1% in 2026–27 and 7.0% in 2027–28. Economists cited higher energy costs and inflation risks linked to the conflict involving Iran, while warning that prolonged price pressures could constrain household demand and employment growth
  • Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan cautioned India against exhausting its foreign-exchange reserves to defend a particular rupee exchange rate. He said moderate depreciation could support exports, while warning that high oil prices and continued foreign investment outflows were adding pressure to the currency and the current account
  • Indian equity benchmarks ended nearly unchanged after a volatile trading session. The Sensex slipped 8.08 points to close at 73,598.67, while the Nifty 50 fell 3.45 points to 22,749.75, with elevated crude oil prices and caution ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s decision weighing on sentiment
  • Ranji Trophy: Bengal recover as Shahbaz Ahmed scores 121 and then took 2 wickets to put them in a commanding position versus Kerala. In other matches, Delhi were in a fine position against Jharkhand and Gujarat and maharashtra were evenly placed
  • India thrashed Bangladesh 13-0 in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey
  • Despite a brilliant come-from-the-back effort, India A were robbed of victory against New Zealand A in the first unofficial Test as the Kiwis ended at 187 for 9 (target 313) when play was stopped due to bad light
  • Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced that India plans to amend its anti-doping law to criminalise the supply and sale of banned substances, including penalties for coaches and other participants in doping supply chains. The proposal was announced at a UNESCO anti-doping conference in New Delhi as India seeks to strengthen enforcement and support its bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games
  • India defeated New Zealand by six wickets in Wellington to take an unassailable 3–0 lead in their five-match T20I series. Abhishek Sharma smashed 113 off 38 balls, reaching his century in 35 deliveries, while he and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi combined for a record 118 runs in the powerplay
A stunning 113 off 38 balls from Abhishek Sharma drowns New Zealand as India chase 199 in 13.2 overs to take an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series
oppn parties
HP: Tipplers To Pay For Cow Welfare

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2023-03-21 01:00:55

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday announced a cow cess of Rs 10 per bottle on sale of liquor, and said it would fetch Rs 100 crore revenue per annum. The tax is aimed at raising funds for the welfare of cows in the state, which Hindus consider sacred, and play a crucial role in the state's agriculture and economy. The funds collected from the tax will be used to establish shelters for stray cows and improve their healthcare facilities, among other things.

The move has been lauded by many animal rights activists and Hindu groups, who see it as a step towards the protection of cows. However, the tax has also been criticized by some, who see it as an unnecessary burden on consumers and an attempt to appease certain political groups.

Critics of the policy argue that the government should focus on improving the overall welfare of animals in the state, rather than just cows. They claim that the tax may lead to a decrease in liquor sales, hurting the state's revenue. They also claim that the Congress government is trying to be more Hindu than the BJP and is compromising with its core ideology.

Proponents of the policy, on the other hand, argue that cows are an integral part of the state's culture and economy. They also point out that the tax is not very significant and is unlikely to impact liquor sales and the revenue collected can be used for the welfare of cows.

The introduction of the cow cess in Himachal Pradesh is not the first instance of such a tax in India. In 2017, the state of Rajasthan also introduced a similar tax, which was aimed at raising funds for the welfare of cows.