Kaushambhi (Uttar Pradesh), Dec 16 (IANS): Inmates in the Kaushambhi district jail are stitching coats for cows, using old and torn blankets.

"A team of 10 inmates are stitching the covers for the cattle. A pack of 50 woolen covers is being supplied to a gaushala in Manjhanpur," Superintendent of Kaushambhi district jail, B.S. Mukund, said.

"We have collected old and torn blankets from many jails and are using those to make the cover for cattle by stitching them with a thick sheet of clothpolythene," he said.

According to him, a blanket allotted to an inmate during winter, usually lasts around three years. After that, the worn-out blanket is used to stitch coats for cows.

"We aim to prepare around 1,000 covers for the cattle in a month and are trying to make at least 400 covers this week. Once the woolen cover is made, we will put a logo on it and dispatch it to gaushalas," he said.

The Yogi Adityanath government, through the Animal Husbandry Department of the state, has asked veterinary officers in various districts to ensure proper protection for cows in state-run cow shelters during the winter months.

Officials are now making arrangements for the cow coats that will be mostly made of jute bags and will keep the cows warm. The cow shelters are also being covered with thick polythene curtains or 'tarpaulin' so that cold winds do not enter.

In several districts, jute bags are being sewed together to make thick curtains and covers. The same jute bags will be used to make cow coats which the cows will wear to stay warm during winters. The jute bags will be provided by the district supply department.

In some districts, the gram panchayats will make cow coats and will cover the cow shelters with polythene and other material with the MGNREGA budget.

In Kaushambhi jail, this is the first time when inmates have started such an initiative.