Cow should be made the national animal: Allahabad HC
Current Affairs
Javed, a resident of Sambal, Uttar Pradesh, has been in jail since March on charges of allegedly stealing and slaughtering a cow with his associates. On Wednesday, while deciding whether he should be granted bail under the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, the Allahabad High Court said that the cow should be declared the national animal of India.
The court added that cow protection (gau raksha) should also be declared as a fundamental right of the Hindus.
Reasons for declaring cow the national animal
Justice Yadav offered the following reasons for declaring cow as the national animal, and for making cow protection a fundamental right:
Cow is a symbol of Indian culture
In lieu of threats to a culture, the court warned people that they should not forget the attack on and capture of Afghanistan by the Taliban
Cows occupy an important place in the Puranas, Shastras, Ramayana, and Mahabharata
Scientists believe that cow is the only animal that inhales and exhales oxygen
Eating beef cannot be considered a fundamental right
The judge also pointed to the economic value of cows, calling them the ‘backbone’ of agriculture, “Jab gaaye ka kalyaan hoga, tabhi desh ka kalyaan hoga” (only if cow is revered, the country will prosper).
Justice Yadav further added that a fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters but also of those who worship cows and are financially dependent on them.
“The right to life is above the right to kill and the right to eat beef can never be considered a fundamental right.”
“Muslims in favour of a ban on cow slaughter”
The judge further claimed that even the majority of Muslims in India were/ are in favour of a nationwide ban on cow slaughter. He added that Muslim rulers also considered cows as an important part of India's culture and cited examples of Mughal emperors like Babur, Humayun and Akbar who advocated the prohibition of the sacrifice of cows in their religious festivals.
Understanding the current laws
The Constitution of India does not authorize the centre to make any law on the aspect of cow slaughter. The preservation of cattle comes under the states’ list and individual states have exclusive powers to bring in legislation.
While some states have entirely banned the slaughter of cows, some allow it for cows above a certain age. In general, the slaughter of calves is prevented across all definitions of cattle.
Blanket prohibition of slaughter of cows in Karnataka
The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020 was passed in January, 2021. As per the bill, “The slaughter of cows and calves are not allowed while the slaughter of buffaloes above 13 years is allowed. Illegal selling, transportation or culling of cows has been made punishable.”
Violation can lead to 3 to 7 years of jail and (or) a fine of upto INR 5 lakhs, while subsequent offences can invite fines of upto INR 10 lakhs and a jail term of up to 7 years.
Uttar Pradesh has higher imprisonment
In June 2020, the Uttar Pradesh assembly had passed an ordinance providing maximum rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of upto NR 5 lacs for cow slaughter. In October 2020, a different bench of the Allahabad high court had found that the state’s cow slaughter law was prone to ‘frequent misuse’.
“Fit for slaughter” certificate
Maharashtra State has the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976 under which the slaughter of cows (includes a heifer or male or female calf of a cow) is prohibited, except if a ‘fit for slaughter’ certificate has been issued for the slaughter. The MAPA prohibits slaughter, purchase, sale, import, export, and possession of beef. The act further lays prohibition on transport and export of cow, bull or bullock for slaughter:
The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court in December, 2020 has held that possession of a dead animal’s skin is not an offence.
In the recent few years, mob incidents related to the slaughter of cows have seen a sharp rise, with people either getting imprisoned for extended periods or losing their lives.
With the reasons provided by the court, do you agree that cow should be declared as the national animal? Or will this declaration stop beefeaters?
How to manage risk while investing?
Finance
Risk is inseparable from returns. Any investment asset, be it equities, mutual funds, fixed income assets, real estate etc. has risk.
Some are riskier than others, but they come with higher returns and therefore are more lucrative. However, your total portfolio risk should be managed as efficiently as it can be.
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Don’t stick to one asset, diversify
Any significant event will impact all asset classes, but not to the same extent. Take the case of the ongoing pandemic, while all asset classes were hit at first, they were hit to different extents and at different times. While gold (asset class: commodities), performed very well last year, it is not performing so well currently, while most equities are doing great.
Diversification across industries
Take equities for example. You can diversify your equity investments on the basis of either industries, market capitalisation, geographies or more. How does this help?
Again, the pandemic hit the tourism industry badly, but the e-commerce and tech industries boomed. Staying invested in just one industry will prevent you from taking advantage of the boom in another.
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Diversify on size, tenure and more…
Similarly, in any market cycle, large-cap stocks are more stable, while small-cap stocks are more volatile. While in a bull market, your small-caps may become multi-baggers easily, but in a bear market, the stability of large-cap stocks will keep your portfolio relatively safe.
With fixed income, one can split investment basis term maturities, issuer type, credit rating and more.
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A well-diversified portfolio should include investments from various asset classes, industries and types. The proportion of your portfolio allocated into various categories depends on your requirements of return, risk, liquidity, time horizon etc.
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