As per the information provided by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, a list of licensed slaughter houses in the country is annexed.

As per Basic Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Statistics 2018, number of Cattle slaughtered during 2017-18 was 34.10 lakhs. If any, instances of cattle smuggling reported along the Indo-Bangladesh Border, information is being collected and will be laid on the Table of the House.

Under the distribution of legislatives powers between the Union of India and States under Article 246(3) of the Constitution, the preservation of cattle is a matter on which the legislature of the States has exclusive powers to legislate. Therefore, it is up to the States to enact laws on slaughter of cows. Further as per article 48 of Indian Constitution the state  shall endeavour to organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall in particular take steps for preserving improving the breed, and prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle. As regards to information on effective steps taken by the Central Government for prohibiting trade and smuggling in the neighbouring countries is being collected and will be laid on the Table on the House.

Several States have enacted laws banning cow slaughter and provision of penalizing the accused person has been provided in the State act.  Further, ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and therefore, the State Governments are primarily responsible for prevention, detection, registration and investigation of crime and for prosecuting the criminals through the machinery of their law Enforcement agencies, as also for protecting the life and property of the citizens.

Annexure

This information was given in a written reply by the Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan in Rajya Sabha today.

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 APS/AS