Indore, Mar 25 (PTI): Nearly 2.5 lakh cattle, out of around 90 lakh in Madhya Pradesh, have been stamped with unique identities, similar to the 12-digit Aadhaar number, to enhance their safety as well as increase milk production, officials said.

The ears of these bovines are being tagged with UID numbers as part of an ambitious scheme of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

An official said that cows and buffaloes are being tagged in this manner to create a nationwide recording mechanism called the Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH).

Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Joint Director and INAPH state nodal officer Gulabsingh Davar said, "We have started tagging the bovines on a large scale this month. In the first phase, 40 lakh tags have been distributed and the ears of 2.5 lakh cattle have been tagged."

The plan, he said, was to complete the tagging of all the 90 lakh cattle in MP in the second phase.

"A cattle dossier, comprising the animal's age, breed and other characteristics, will be created which would be uploaded onto the INAPH's Information Technology Application so that each cow or buffalo's unique identity is available on gadgets," he explained.

The cattle UID would then be linked to the Aadhaar number of its owner which in turn would check the illegal sale and purchase, smuggling and abandoning of cattle, he added.

"With this, we can keep an eye on productivity of the animals which can be enhanced with improvement in its breed. This will also increase the income of the cattle owners. MP is the third largest producer of milk in India," Davar said.