The Himachal Pradesh government has imposed a cow cess of Rs 10 on the sale of a bottle of liquor. The move was announced during the budget presentation, with Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu stating that the cess would generate annual revenue of Rs 100 crore to improve the comfort of cows.
The budget also includes a subsidy of Rs 25,000 for the purchase of scooters by students and various schemes in the education sector. Additionally, farmers can now access loans at a reduced interest rate of 2 percent.
The introduction of the cow cess is not unique to Himachal Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh government imposed a 0.5 percent cess on various items to fund cow shelters. Similarly, the Congress government in Rajasthan has also introduced a cow cess.
According to reports, the Rajasthan government has collected Rs 2,176 crore through cow cess between 2019 and 2022. However, only Rs 5.20 crore has been spent so far, leading to criticism from some quarters about the allocation of funds.
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