Panaji, Feb 7 (IANS): Union Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries Giriraj Singh on Sunday said that starting "cow factories" was the way ahead for promoting the dairy industry across India, even as he chided Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for not being able to distinguish between a male and female calf.
Speaking at a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party state executive committee members in Panaji, Singh also said that the central government was aggressively promoting vaccination for animal and poultry borne diseases like bird flu and foot and mouth disease.
"There is a technology which has come up, with which one can start a cow factory. When I say this people are surprised. Like you have test tube babies in humans... everyone knows it. We will make test tube babies (calves) with embryos in a laboratory," Singh said at the state executive committee meeting.
Rooting for 100 per cent artificial insemination to promote the dairy industry, Singh also said that the efficiency and milk generation capacities in cows could be increased with the help of lab technology.
"If there is a cow which yields five litres, we will add embryos (of cows) which generate 20 to 30 litres," Singh said, adding that facilitating sorted sex semen would also provide the dairy industry.
Chiding Rahul Gandhi for being out of touch with rural India, Singh said that he would quit politics if the Gandhi scion was able to distinguish between a male and a female calf.
"He who does not know the difference between a female and male calf. If he can spot the difference in gender between a two-month-old male and female calf from a distance, I will quit politics," Singh said.
Earlier addressing a press conference in Panaji, Singh said that the Central government had identified 39 diseases which are transmitted from animals to humans and was pushing for vaccination to keep them at bay.
"It is being discussed because there are 39 diseases which are transmitted from animals to humans. You must have heard about discussions in the media about bird flu. Maharashtra was also affected by bird flu," he said.
He also said that a free vaccination programme was also being undertaken to prevent the harmful transmission of brucellosis, a cattle disease which can trigger infertility in humans.