Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the Bill in the assembly on the first day of the budget session which commenced on Monday (July 12).
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented a bill in the Assembly on the first day of the budget session which proposes to ban the sale/purchase of beef in areas predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef-eating communities”, or “within a radius of 5 km” of any temple.
The bill, also proposes that a certificate from veterinary is required to carry out any slaughter activity and a cow can not be slaughtered in the state.
“No certificate shall be issued unless the Veterinary Officer is of the opinion that the cattle, not being a cow, is over fourteen years of age; or the cattle, not being a cow, heifer or calf, has become permanently incapacitated from work or breeding due to accidental injury or deformity” the bill proposes.
The proposed bill ‘The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021’ will replace ‘The Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 1950’, if passed.
On many times, Chief Minister Sarma has stated that the 1950 legislation lacks sufficient legal safeguards to prevent unlawful livestock slaughter in the state.
The bill also makes it mandatory to carry papers for any cattle transport outside the district. It aims to check any illegal smuggling to Bangladesh with which Assam shares a 263-km long border.
The offenders under the Act can be sent to prison for up to eight years and fined rupees three lakh or both. The minimum sentence is three years. For the repeat offenders, the punishment will be doubled.
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