CAG-COWS 2 LAST

Among others, the import of cows from outside the Among others, the import of cows from outside thestate, allegedly caused the death of many domestic cows due tooutbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) which prompted thestate government to constitute a three-member EnquiryCommittee headed by Principal Secretary for DisasterManagement and Rehabilitation on July 24, 2012. The committee recommended procurement andtransportation of diary cows from far-off places like Punjaband Haryana during the winter season before the end ofFebruary. But, the CAG noted, the Director of AH and Veterinarydepartment again placed orders for supply of 1,400 dairy cowsfrom the same firms at the rate of Rs 54,000 each and, inblatant disregard to the recommendations of the committee,allowed the firms to supply 1,372 cows between March and Mayin 2013. As a consequence, 16 cows died during transit while110 cows died inside Mizoram while in transit camps and thefailure of the state Veterinary department to comply with therecommendation of the expert committee resulted in the deathof 126 diary cows and the loss of public money to the tune ofRs 68.04 lakh, the CAG report said. PTI HCV SUSSUS