India’s government on Friday withdrew its appeal to citizens to mark Valentine’s Day next week not as a celebration of romance but as “Cow Hug Day” to better promote Hindu values. The appeal had attracted widespread criticism from political rivals and on social media. A terse statement issued by the government-run Animal Welfare Board of India said the appeal issued Wednesday “stands withdrawn.” Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst, said the call to hug cows had been “absolutely crazy, defying logic.” “The decision to withdraw the government appeal was to prevent the politics of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) from being ridiculed in the face of severe criticism from all quarters,” he said. Also read: Indian government asks people to hug cows on Valentine's Day Young, educated Indians typically spend Valentine’s Day crowding parks and restaurants, exchanging gifts and holding parties. The Animal Welfare Board had said Wednesday that “hugging cows will bring emotional richness and increase individual and collective happiness.” Devout Hindus, who worship cows as holy, say the Western holiday goes against traditional Indian values. In recent years, Hindu hard-liners have raided shops selling Valentine’s Day items, burned cards and gifts, and chased hand-holding couples out of restaurants and parks, insisting that the day promotes promiscuity. Hindu nationalist groups such as Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal say such raids help reassert a Hindu identity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been pushing a Hindu agenda, seeking the religion’s supremacy in a secular nation known for its diversity. Hindus comprise nearly 80% of the nearly 1.4 billion people. Muslims account for 14%, while Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains account for most of the remaining 6%. The cow has long been embedded in the Hindu psyche and is deeply respected by many, much like one’s mother. Most states in India have banned cow slaughter.  

The number of cows and goats has increased during the last decade in the country, according to the final report of 5th Agricultural Census 2019 published on Tuesday. The report showed that the total number of cows in the country is 2.94 crore, which was 2.56 crore in the Agriculture Census-2008, and the number of goats is currently 1.94 crore, which was 1.63 crore in the census of 2008. According to published reports, the number of cows, buffaloes, goats and poultry in the country has increased significantly in 10 years. The total number of chickens in this census is 19.94 crore, which was 9.78 crore in the 2008 census. The number of ducks is currently 7.44 crore, which was 3.14 crore in 2008 census. Agricultural census is usually conducted every 10 years. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) released the 2019 census report on Tuesday. The fifth agricultural census was conducted on June 9-20 in 2019. Read more: Choosing Sacrificial Animal for Qurban: Thing to consider before purchase Agricultural census collects data on the amount of agricultural land in the country, ownership, irrigation system, amount of cultivable land, land use, number of poultry and livestock i.e. The census data shows that the total number of agricultural households in the country is 1 .68 crore, which was 1.51 crore in the census in 2008. The net cultivable land in the country is 1.68 crore and 81 thousand acres. Out of this, the net temporary crop land is 1.64 crore 23 thousand acres and the permanent crop land is 19.70 lakh acres. According to the census report, in the 2019 census compared to 2008, there was a slight decrease in the area under Aush crops, but there was a significant increase in the area under Aman, Boro, Potato, Wheat, Maize, Jute etc. Cropping intensity was found to be 214, which was 173 in 2008. In the Agricultural Census 2019, the total amount of land for fisheries is 12 lakh 12 thousand 107 acres. The report found that the maximum amount of land for fish farming in the pond is 6 lakh 81 thousand acres. Planning Minister MA Mannan attended as the chief guest at the disseminating of agriculture census report-2019, held at BBS Auditorium, Agargaon in Dhaka. Read more: Online sale of sacrificial animals soars amid Covid restrictions  State Minister for Planning Dr. Shamsul Alam and senior officials of BBS and planning ministry were also present in the function.

A writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking the release of 18 imported Brahman-breed cows seized by customs officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on July 5. Barrister Mehedi Hasan filed the petition on behalf of Imran Hossain, the owner of Sadek Agro in Mohammadpur, on Monday. The seized cows are now at Savar Dairy Farm. Defence counsel Barrister Ruhul Kuddus Kajol said: “We’ve sought permission to release the cows and directives to hand over those to their owner.” The hearing on the writ petition will be held at the bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim on Tuesday. Customs officials on July 5 seized 18 Brahman-breed cows at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The cows were later handed over to the Livestock Department. “The cows were imported from the US and arrived on a Turkish Airlines flight. We seized them as the import of Brahman-breed cows is not legal in the country,” Md Abdus Sadek, deputy commissioner (preventive) of Dhaka Customs House said. The market value of each cow is Tk 12-15 lakh.