The fame of Mudhol Hound shoots up after PM Modi names it in his 'Mann Ki Baat'
Bagalkot: Mudhol hound; the native canine breed has already made waves among dog lovers for its amazing sniffing skills, exemplary obedience and inimitable hunting capacity with agility, but after the mention of its name by Prime Minister Narendrea Modi in his latest ‘Mann ki Baat’ series, it has added another feather in the crown of this ‘Desi’ breed.
During his recent address in ‘Mann ki baat’, Modi had not only praised the services of Indian breed of dogs, but had also appealed to people to adopt Indian dogs over the foreign breed.
Taking names of some of the known Indian breed of dogs, he had mentioned Mudhol hound also in his speech.
This breed of dog could run at the speed of around 50 km/hour, and could sniff any object from the distance of 3 km. This ability has grabbed the attention of the Armed Forces which have shown interest in absorbing this native canine breed in their service.
The Mudhol hound has its own history. Sources said that the dogs were used by Maratha King, Chhatrapati Shivaji during the wars.
The names given to the dog as ‘Mudhol’ after the erstwhile princely state of Mudhol, which was part of the Bombay Presidency during British rule. The last king of the state, King Malojirao Ghorpade said to have presented a pair of these puppies to King George V when he visited the UK and it was the English emperor who names the dogs as Mudhol hounds.
Mudhol hound is being raised at Canine Research and Information Centre (CRIC) in Mudhol taluk of Bagalkot district. The lone such centre in the country that is dedicated to the raising of Mudhol hounds, comes under Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU), Bidar.
After knowing its different hunting and sniffing skills, the Indian Army has already adopted the breed for various acts including detecting explosives or in Naxal-affected areas of the country.
The Army has made these dogs undergo vigorous training that lasts for around nine-month training at the Remount Veterinary Corp in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
These dogs are serving in border areas of India, including Kashmir and Rajasthan. Besides the armed forces, even police departments of States such as Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have taken Mudhol dogs for security.
The Army is already using different breeds of dogs including Labrador, German Shepherd, and Belgian Shepherd for security purposes. However, the officials of the centre believe that Mudhol hound is better compared to other dogs in sniffing and running abilities. These abilities of the dog promoted the armed forces to adopt Mudhol hounds.
After the Armed Forces, even the elite security agency of the country; the National Security Guard (NSG), the country’s premier counter-terrorism force, showed interest in the breed and took some puppies for training and adopting in their service.
Besides the centre, even the local farmers also raise the puppies for additional earning. These puppies are purchased largely by farmers to protect their crop against stray animals or security of farm houses. Some raise it as pets at their homes.
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CM playing cheap politics: Delhi LG office denies Atishi's temple demolition charge
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Tuesday alleged that an order was issued by a panel on the "directions of Lt Governor VK Saxena" for demolition of multiple Hindu and Buddhist religious structures, a charge refuted by the LG office as "cheap politics".
The LG secretariat in a statement said neither are any temples, mosques, churches or any other place of worship being demolished, nor has any file in this regard was received by it.
In a letter to LG Saxena, the chief minister said she was informed that the 'Religious Committee', in a meeting on November 22, ordered for demolition of the religious structures in the national capital.
It has been decided by the Religious Committee "on your directions, and with your approval" to demolish multiple religious structures across Delhi, the chief minister claimed.
In a sharp reply, the LG secretariat alleged that the chief minister is playing "cheap politics" to divert attention from her as well as her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal's "failures".
"If at all, the LG has issued strict instructions to the police to maintain extra vigil against forces who may indulge in deliberate vandalism for political benefits. His instructions are being strictly followed, as was witnessed during the just gone Christmas celebrations which did not see any untoward incident," the LG secretariat said.
In her letter, Atishi said the list of religious structures to be demolished includes many temples and Buddhist places of worship,
The religious structures were situated at West Patel Nagar, Dilshad Garden, Sunder Nagri, Seema Puri, Gokal Puri and Usmanpur, as per the list furnished by the chief minister.
Atishi requested Saxena in her letter to prevent "demolition" of the religious structures, saying it would hurt the sentiments of the communities concerned.
Earlier, all decisions of the Religious Committee were sent to the LG office via chief minister and the home minister, she said, adding the government would then ensure that no religious sentiments were hurt due to such action, she said.
The chief minister said an order was issued last year by the LG office stating that demolition of religious structures is a matter related to "public order" and would be directly under the purview of the LG.
"Since then the work of the Religious Committee has been directly monitored by you. All files of the Religious Committee are routed from the Home department to the the LG office, completely bypassing the chief minister and the home minister," she said in the letter to the LG.
