Historic! Indian cows to have Aadhaar-like unique identification number

This will surely go down the history books as one of the most historical piece of development in the 21st century India. Taking the digital drive to a whole new level, Indian government is all set to digitize Indian cows along with the human species. In a bid to prevent cow trafficking and smuggling, the central government has suggested Supreme Court to provide an Aadhaar-like unique identification number to cows in India.

As per the documents filed by the central government with the Supreme Court, this ID will take the form of a polyurethane tag, which will contain details of the cattle’s age, breed, sex, height, body colour, horn type, tail switch and distinctive marks.

Once the tag is fixed, the technician will use a tablet to update the number in an online database and also provide the cattle owner with an "animal health card", recording the UID number, owner's details, the status of periodic deworming and vaccinations of the animal as well as the breeding details.

The court was hearing a petition by an organisation, the Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh, which alleged rampant smuggling of cattle across the border to Bangladesh. A series of cow vigilante attacks have stirred protests and anger in recent weeks in states like Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Jharkhand, for allegedly transporting cows illegally.

The committee also suggested that each district should have a shelter home of 500-capacity for abandoned animals to help reduce smuggling and such units should be funded by the state.

The unique identification system for cattle is already being applied by the National Dairy Development Board, organised cattle farms and insurance companies.

The yellow-colored tag is fixed in the centre of the earlobe of animals, which are made from thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, a material resistant to ultraviolet light and high and low temperatures, and impossible to tamper with once sealed.