In what could be a bizarre development, the BJP ruling Indian state had formed a separate cabinet comprised of people elected representatives exclusively for the protection and promotion of cows and to boost the rural economy. 

For the first of its kind in the country, Madhya Pradesh has formed a 'Cow' cabinet to be the savior of cows. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the announcement concerning the formation of a separate cabinet in the state. Taking to Twitter, Chouhan had on Wednesday said that animal husbandry, forest, panchayat, and rural development, revenue, home, and farmer welfare departments will be a part of the Cow cabinet. 

The Chief Minister stated that it has been decided to set up a cow cabinet for the protection and promotion of cows in the state and added that the first meeting of the Cow cabinet will be held on November 22 at 12 noon at Kamdhenu Gau Abhayaranya (cow sanctuary) in the Agar-Malwa district of the state. 

According to reports, the first meeting will be held on Gopasthami. Deepak Vijayvargiya, the Chief Spokesperson of BJP Madhya Pradesh said that the decision of forming the cabinet has been taken with an aim at developing an alternative source of rural employment by harnessing the potential of cows and the resources available through it.  

With becoming the first state government in forming the Cow cabinet in India, the spokesperson said that industrialization cannot be the only solution towards providing employment. The economy surrounding cows is a sustainable one which is going on for over 2,000 years. Through this cabinet, the government will provide for sustainable infrastructure for developing a cow-economy to raise incomes in the rural set-up. 

The development has come as a testament to BJP's propaganda and its campaign to save cows. In the bid to save the cattle, the workers attached to the BJP and other Hindu organizations had severely attacked and assaulted people who slaughtered cows across the country, particularly in North Indian states. 

Some of the other BJP ruling states including Uttar Pradesh had earlier framed policies to protect cows. The formation of the cabinet to protect the cows in Madhya Pradesh has come at a high time when the state has been witnessing incessant crimes and violence against women. As per the latest report released by the National Crime Records Bureau, Madhya Pradesh had recorded the highest number of rape cases in the country in 2018. 

As per the report, Madhya Pradesh had accounted for 16 percent of the country's total 33,356 rape cases registered in 2018. As many as 5,433 rape cases were reported in Madhya Pradesh in the year and in 2018, the state had topped the chart in terms of the number of rape cases for the third consecutive year. Uttar Pradesh was ranked as the worst state for women's security in the country. 

Amid the increase in crimes against women, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has formed the cabinet to secure cows and its decision had received major flak as the government has been getting criticized for prioritizing the safety and protection of cows than ensuring security for women and reducing gender-based violence.