More than three years after the defence ministry passed a proposal to close 39 military cattle farms across the country, the Army is finally demobilizing them.
A flag ceremony was organised in Delhi Cantonment on Wednesday, marking the winding down of the farms. In August 2017, the defence ministry had announced a series of reform measures for the Indian Army which included shutting down the military farms, accommodating around 25,000 herds of cattle.
These farms were set up by the British to ensure the supply of milk to Army units. They were occupying around 20,000 acres of defence land and the Indian Army was spending around Rs 300 crore annually for their maintenance.
The Army has decided to transfer all the cattle kept in the farms to government departments or dairy cooperatives at a nominal cost.
