The Maharashtra government on Monday cleared a subsidy scheme to give the state’s gaushalas, or cow shelters, Rs 50 per cow per day, reported The Hindu. This works out to Rs 1,500 per cow each month.

This is the same amount the Maharashtra government pays out under its Ladki Bahin Yojana for women aged 21 to 65 whose family income is under Rs 2.5 lakh annually.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the scheme for gaushalas would ensure the preservation of indigenous breeds of cows.

His announcement, ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, came on the day Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitin Gadkari observed that the Rs 46,000-crore Ladki Bahin Yojana is likely to result in subsidy payments in other sectors being delayed.

Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction and the BJP are allies in Maharashtra and at the national level.

The state government said that the subsidy for gaushalas would “strengthen them financially” as cow shelters have “meagre income”.

It said that the scheme will be implemented online by the Maharashtra Goseva Commission.

The government said it has given the state’s indigenous breeds of cows the status of “Rajyamata-Gomata” or mother of the state.

It said that the 20th animal census conducted in 2019 put the number of indigenous cows at 46,13,632, a decline of 20% compared to the 19th census.

The Maharashtra government’s announcement on Monday came in the wake of media reports on the weekend that the state’s finance department had warned that it faced “financial pressure” due to revenue deficits and new schemes.

As a consequence, the finance department said that it would not be able to accept increased liabilities, reported The Indian Express.

These comments were in response to a sports department proposal seeking approvals to spend Rs 1,781 crore to build sports complexes in the state. Despite the finance department’s misgivings, the state government passed this application.

Last month, the Maharashtra government faced a backlash for its decision to suspend financial aid amounting to Rs 1 lakh to the families of farmers who died by suicide, India Today reported.

Maharashtra is not the first state to announce subsidies for gaushalas: governments in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have already done so.

In Madhya Pradesh, gaushalas run by non-governmental organisations get Rs 20 per day per cow in aid. In August, the Haryana government had announced to give Rs 20 per day for calves and Rs 30 per day for cows as grants for gaushalas.

In 2023, the Uttar Pradesh government released funds worth Rs 125 crores to build shelters for cattle, reported Gaon Connection. It said the funds would be provided at the rate of Rs 50 per cow. The Rajasthan government provides financial assistance of Rs 20 to Rs 40 per animal for cattle living in cow shelters

While the term of Maharashtra Assembly lapses on November 26, the Election Commission has not yet announced the poll schedule.