“Swamy said the subsidies given to cow meat exporters are extended out of taxpayers’ money ‘and millions of such taxpayers are hurt when their money is given by way of subsidy to meat exporters.'” – PTI
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to abolish subsidies for meat exporters as a “first step” towards ban on cow meat export.
In a letter to Narendra Modi, Swamy said the subsidies given to cow meat exporters are extended out of taxpayers’ money “and millions of such taxpayers are hurt when their money is given by way of subsidy to meat exporters.”
Swamy said while Maharashtra and a few other states have banned cow slaughter, now there is a need to withdraw the 13 types of subsidies extended to the exporters which are administered through Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority ( APEDA).
“These subsidies thus encourage cow meat exports from those states which have not banned cow slaughter and thus crores of rupees of the nation go to the pockets of meat exporters by way of these subsidies,” he said.
Swamy pointed out that meat exports started in 1992 and have reached 15 lakh MT in terms of quantity and over Rs 30,000 crore in terms of value.
“In your 2014 election speeches you correctly referred to meat exports as pink revolution of the earlier government and said it should be banned,” he said.
The receipt of his letter was personally acknowledged by Modi. – The Economic Times, 17 September 2015
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Filed under: india | Tagged: arshiya exports pvt ltd, beef, beef export, india, indian government, meat industry, modi sarkar, red meat export |
Subsidies for the export of meat are, in effect, subsidies for the export of grain (and other foods and supplements) that are fed to the animals before their slaughter.
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Pink revolution? Meat exports up in NDA regime – DK Singh and Timsy Jaipuria – Hindustan Times – New Delhi – Jan 06, 2015 02:06 IST
While attacking the UPA government ahead of last year’s Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi fleshed out his public speeches by alleging the Congress-led Centre promoted a “pink revolution” in subsiding slaughterhouses and promoting meat exports through tax breaks.
However, once in power, the new prime minister and his BJP-led government chose pragmatism over politics, or so it seems from the official data on meat exports showing a spurt in the first eight months of this fiscal.
India sold meat and meat products worth $3.3 billion during April-November 2014 compared to $2.8 billion in the same period the previous year, registering a 16.74% jump. Buffalo meat constituted about 97% of the total livestock products exported from the country as the export of cow meat is banned in India.
“This country wants a Green Revolution but those at the Centre want a Pink Revolution,” Modi said at a Bihar rally in April 2014. “When animals are slaughtered, the colour of their flesh is pink.”
Modi’s theme drew criticism from the Congress that accused him of communalising animal husbandry.
“The (UPA) government is not willing to provide subsidy to a person who keeps a cow but if a person wants to set up a slaughterhouse, he gets assistance,” he said at another pre-parliamentary poll meeting.
HT tried to contact commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman for comment but could not reach her despite multiple telephone calls and text messages. Four BJP spokespersons this newspaper got in touch with refused to react on the issue.
“The trend since April in this segment (meat exports) is indicating an increase. Exporters have quoted a sudden increase in demand,” a senior commerce ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
Analysts say as the Prime Minister is trying to portray India as an advanced, progressive country ready for global business and political cooperation, the government and his party must come across as tolerant and modern.
“The demand has been increasing for quite some time but exports have suddenly grown in the last four months. This is primarily due to better quality at a competitive price, which exporters from India are quoting,” said SS Dhingra, spokesperson of Amroon Foods Pvt Ltd, a UP-based leading meat exporter.
Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi faced flak in September after alleging illegal slaughter and export of animals in the country was funding terrorist activities.
“While in Opposition the Prime Minister is at the forefront of slamming the purported pink revolution and when in government he is at the forefront of promoting it as evidenced by the rise in export figures,” said senior Congress leader Manish Tewari. “This nation needs to know where the PM and his government stand on it. If they were so against it, why has it not been banned? It once again exposes their duplicity and sanctimoniousness.”
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Sometimes we wonder if Mr Modi pays any attention to actual governance, to real ethical governance.
This meat export subsidy should have been withdrawn a year ago.
That it is still in place is a scandal and exposes Mr Modi to well-deserved ridicule!
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