Yogi govt bans illegal slaughterhouses, meat sales near religious sites till April 6

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 29 (ANI): The Uttar Pradesh government, headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has issued strict orders to shut down illegal slaughterhouses and enforce a ban on the sale of meat within a 500-meter radius of religious sites.
Amrit Abhijat, Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department, has directed all District Magistrates, Police Commissioners, and Municipal Commissioners to promptly close down illegal slaughterhouses and ensure strict implementation of the meat sale ban near religious places.
Citing orders issued in 2014 and 2017, the Yogi government has clarified that illegal animal slaughter and meat sales near religious places will be completely banned. To ensure effective implementation, district-level committees have been formed under the leadership of District Magistrates.
These committees will include officials from the Police, Pollution Control Board, Animal Husbandry Department, Transport Department, Labor Department, Health Department, and Food Safety Administration.
A strict ban on animal slaughter and meat sales will be enforced on April 6, 2025, during Ram Navami. Under the UP Municipal Corporation Act, 1959, and Food Safety Acts of 2006 & 2011, the Yogi government has directed officials to take strict action against violators.
Earlier CM Yogi Adityanath announced grand plans on Saturday to celebrate Chaitra Ramnavami, a significant Hindu festival. He has instructed officials to organise 24-hour Akhand Path of Ramcharitmanas, a revered Hindu text, in temples across all districts in the state.
"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given instructions to organize a 24-hour Akhand Paath of Shri Ramcharitmanas in all the districts on the auspicious occasion of Chaitra Ramnavami," according to the Chief Minister's Office statement.
This initiative aims to promote spiritual and cultural significance, ensuring a divine experience for devotees. The recitation will commence on April 5 and conclude on April 6, coinciding with the celebrations of Shri Ramnavami. To facilitate this event, necessary arrangements are being made in temples across the state.
"He has said that the completion of the Akhand Manas Paath, starting from the afternoon of 05 April, should be done on 06 April on the day of Shri Ramnavami at 12 noon with the Surya Tilak of Shri Ram Lalla in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple. After the instructions of the Chief Minister, necessary arrangements have been started in the temples in all the districts," added the statement. (ANI)