Anti-cow slaughter Bill passed in Karnataka Legislative Council
Bengaluru, Feb 8: The anti-cow slaughter Bill was passed in the Karnataka Legislative Council by a voice-vote on Monday amid protest by the Congress party and JD(S).
The Bill, already passed by the Assembly, was put to vote by Deputy Chairman of the council M K Pranesh.
JD(S) MLCs trooped into the well of the House and some of them tore the copies of the Bill and threw them near the Chair.
Despite this, the Deputy Chairman announced that the Bill has been passed. The BJP members thumped the desk and expressed happiness.
Later, the House was adjourned for Tuesday.
Earlier, Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan presented the Bill for consideration of the House.
During the discussion, several Congress and JD(S) MLCs termed the Bill as anti-farmers, said it was targeting certain sections of people and demanded that it be withdrawn or be referred to the joint select committee for vetting.
Expressing happiness over the passage of the Bill, Chauhan said there were more than 75 domestic breeds of cattle but now there were only 35 breeds for want of conservation.
With the Act cominginto effect, the efforts for conservation would gain strength, he said.
The government had, on January5, promulgated the anti- cowslaughterordinance that provides for punishment for killing ofcattleand offers protection to those acting in good faith to save them, as the Bill to this effect was yet to be cleared by the Legislative Council.
Under the ordinance,slaughterofcattlewould lead to imprisonment of upto 3 to 7 years and a fine ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh. Subsequent offences would attract imprisonment of upto seven years and a fine from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
According to the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Ordinance-2020, cattle is defined as a cow, calf of a cow, bull and bullock of all ages and he or she buffalo below the age of 13, while beef has been defined as the flesh of the cattle in any form.
For a Bill to become a law, its passage in both Houses followed by assent by the Governor is necessary.
However, as the Council was adjourned sine die even before the Bill was tabled there for passage during the winter session, the government opted for the ordinance route.
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13; body of last missing person recovered
Jabalpur (PTI): The bodies of a five-year-old boy and his uncle were recovered from Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Sunday morning, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 13, police said.
The boat, around 20 years old and operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening.
"The bodies of Mayuram (5) and his uncle Kamraj (around 50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, were found floating and were fished out of the dam," Bargi Sub Divisional Officer of Police Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI over the phone.
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All 13 missing persons identified have now been accounted for, he said, adding the bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem.
Teams comprising around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, along with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, were involved in the search operation, the police said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the vessel, 28 were rescued after the incident, according to the police.
The CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat, though the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far, they said.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members. It also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
