Mathura, Nov 15 (IANS): The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh will soon start an ambulance service for cows suffering from serious diseases.

According to Chaudhary Laxmi Narain, the Minister for Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry & Fisheries, nearly 515 ambulances are ready for the scheme which is probably the first in the country.

"The service is similar to the 112 emergency service number. The new service will pave the way for speedy treatment of critically ill cows," he said.

An ambulance with a veterinary doctor and two assistants would arrive within a response time of 15 to 20 minutes, the Minister said.

Under the scheme which is scheduled to begin next month, a call centre will be set up in Lucknow for receiving complaints.

"At present, if a cow is ill, people have a problem in bringing it to a veterinary hospital. With this service, the problem of transporting the ailing cow will be solved and will also help in saving lives," he said.

The Minister also said the state's breed improvement programme will get a boost with the provision of free high-quality semen and embryo transplant technology.

The embryo transplant technology will virtually be a revolution in the state as it would convert even sterile cows into high milk yielding animals.

This would automatically the solve stray cattle problem as cow keepers would desist from letting go of animals that will be yielding at least 20 litres milk per day.

Chaudhary said that the scheme will begin as a pilot project in eight districts of the state, including Mathura.