India ‘cow science’ exam put off amid ‘controversy over syllabus’

3 min readFeb 27, 2021

A nationwide examination on “cow science” in India has been postponed indefinitely after widespread criticism over the propagation of unscientific claims about the animal, which is considered sacred by the country’s Hindu majority.

The Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) or National Cow Commission, set up by the ruling Hindu nationalist government, was to organise the online exam on Thursday.The syllabus for the exam sparked controversy, with media reporting that it contained unscientific claims such as that cow milk has traces of gold in it and earthquakes occur due to cow slaughter.

“The government’s animal husbandry department, under which the commission functions, shelved the exam because of the controversy and furore over the syllabus,” an official at the commission said, requesting anonymity.

“The exam was the brainchild of RKA Chairman Vallabhbhai Kathiria whose term ended on February 20. The department will supervise the commission till a new chairman is appointed,” he added.

The Hindu newspaper reported that the department had disowned the exam which promoted fake claims and pseudoscience.
The commission had “no mandate” to conduct such an examination and any future awareness programme would be conducted on a “scientific basis,” the report said, citing department officials.

The exam, aimed at promoting and protecting the cow, was open for children and adults as well as non-resident Indians, and was to be held in 12 regional languages besides Hindi and English, officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which came to power in 2014, named protection of cows a priority to shore up Hindu support among its electoral base.

The government launched programmes to research the uses of cow milk, dung and urine which, according to ancient Indian Ayurveda medicine, have healing properties.
India will hold a mass nationwide online “cow science” exam next month, officials said, in the latest push by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to promote and protect the animal considered sacred by a large section of the Hindu majority.

The hourlong test on February 25, open to children and adults, as well as foreigners, comprises 100 multiple-choice questions in Hindi, English and 12 regional languages.
The aim is to assess people’s knowledge and “sensitise and educate” them, according to Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (National Cow Commission or RKA), the cow protection agency created by Modi’s administration.

“Certificates will be given to all. Successful meritorious candidates will be given prizes and certificates,” the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said on Wednesday.
“The cow is full of science and economics. People are not aware of the true economic and scientific value of the animal,” RKA chief Vallabhbhai Kathiria said.
Accompanying study material released by the RKA includes information on different cow breeds, as well as the theory that slaughtering animals causes earthquakes.

Many from India’s overwhelming Hindu majority consider cows sacred, but under Modi’s rule, the animal has increasingly become a political and sectarian flashpoint.

His government has made cows a top priority and invested millions of dollars in programmes to protect the animal and research the uses for bovine dung and urine.
Cow slaughter and eating beef has become illegal in many parts of the culturally diverse and officially secular country, while sentences elsewhere have increased.
There have been a string of attacks by vigilante Hindu groups on Muslims and low-caste Hindus who have traditionally eaten beef and disposed of cow carcasses.

On Tuesday, the southern state of Karnataka amended its cow protection law to give police increased powers to search and arrest anyone without a warrant suspected of cow slaughter.

The state government, controlled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), enhanced jail terms to seven years and fines to one million rupees ($13,700) for offenders.

India ‘cow science’ exam put off amid ‘controversy over syllabus’

Written by Toliarasamasn