MP govt to sell Kadaknath chicken meat at milk stalls, BJP

The Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh is planning to sell Kadaknath chicken meat at milk outlets to cater to the growing demand. The move is, however, opposed by BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma who said it would hurt "religious sentiments" as cow milk is considered "pious".

The government has launched the project on a pilot basis at a parlour run by the Madhya Pradesh State Livestock and Poultry Development Cooperation (MPSLPDC) in Vaishali Nagar area of the state capital, Animal Husbandry Lakhan Singh Yadav told PTI.

Kadaknath chicken is currently sold at the rate of Rs 900 per kg. Black meat of Kadaknath bird, endemic to Jhabua district in the state, is in high demand for its nutritious content and purported medicinal properties. "We have set up a booth to sell Kadaknath chicken in Bhopal on an experimental basis. We are discussing the plans to set up such parlours across the state," the minister said.

He said the future of the project would depend on success of the pilot project. The government is yet to take a call on whether to set up such booths under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Meanwhile, Sharma said milk and chicken should not be sold together. "Cow milk and Kadaknath chicken meat should not be sold together in one booth. This will hurt religious sentiments. Cow milk is considered pious and is used for the religious purpose. It is also used during fasting. I will urge the government to set up separate parlours for selling milk and the Kadaknath chicken," Sharma said.

When asked about this objection, the minister clarified that separate cabins would be set up inside the parlour to sell both the products. "Chicken will be sold in a separate part with an exclusive storage and milk in another part which is completely separate," Yadav said.

In August 2018, Kadaknath chicken meat from Jhabua district had secured a Geographical Indication (GI) tag denoting that the product comes from a particular geographical area. States of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were at loggerheads over the origin of Kadaknath before the GI tag was secured.

-PTI

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