Cattle ban not meant to influence 'food habits': Centre

New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): Reiterating the Government's stand of its order on ban on sale of cattle for slaughter, Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Harshvardhan on Sunday said the rules have not been formed to change or control anybody's food habits, nor will it affect the slaughter business. "We have clearly mentioned that the rules under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act have not been formed to change or control anybody's food habits, nor affect slaughter business. Despite of this, if people have misconception about it, we have asked suggestions that have been submitted and will be contemplated upon. It is not a prestige issue for us," he told ANI. The Union Minister further said that there have conspiracies to spread wrong word about the rule among certain sections. "We have clearly mentioned that some rules have been notified as per the Supreme Court's verdict under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. There have been ill-efforts to spread confusion, misunderstanding, misconception in some sections of the society," he said. There has been a wide opposition of the Central Government's order, with many states openly denying accepting the notification. In some places, people even hosted 'beef fest' to protest against the Centre's decision. A beef fest was organised by IIT-Madras opposing the same. Similarly, the Karnataka, Kerala and Tripura Governments have said they will not implement the Centre's order. Harsh Vardhan has ordered that the ministry has notified the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 to ensure that the sale of cattle is not meant for slaughter purposes. He said the seller and buyer both have to ensure that the cattle is not being bought or sold across the country's livestock markets market for slaughter purposes. The rules also state that the purchaser shall not sacrifice the animal for any religious purpose or sell it to a person outside the state without permission and must keep in with the state's cattle protection laws. (ANI)