New Delhi, Nov 5(NIE): Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb Sunday announced the state government will be launching a scheme for distributing cows among 5000 families to generate employment in the state.

Biplab, who had earlier too insisted on rearing cows as means of employment for the youth, said unlike setting up big industries in which “one has to invest Rs 10,000 crore for employing 2000 people”, giving 10,000 cows to 5,000 families will help people start earning in “6 months”.

The gym instructor-turned-chief minister said he wants to lead by example and will start domestication of cows at his residence.

“Today I am announcing that I will start domestication of cows at the CM residence along with my family and will consume its milk. This will also inspire people of Tripura to do the same and would help fight malnutrition,” ANI quoted him as saying.

In April this year, Biplab had advised graduates to rear a cow instead of remaining unemployed. “Every household must rear a cow. Here milk sells for Rs 50 a litre. Had a graduate who has been searching for employment in the last 10 years reared a cow, then their bank balance would have been Rs 10 lakh by now,” he said.

Deb added that narrow-minded concepts like “a graduate cannot opt for farming, start poultry, or piggery because if he does so, his class will go down” has left many unemployed.