Gai aadharit unnati (GAU)*: modernizing cow based economy through application of advanced technology

Abstract

The cow#, in the Indian context, has been the backbone of our agricultural economy since the early age of human civilization. Our agriculture-based economy thrived alongside cow welfare; thanks to a bounty of natural gifts such as dairy products, manure, crops, vegetables, fruits, and medicinal and natural products derived from cow dung and urine. Mahatma Gandhi even talked about the importance of cow by saying “Mother cow is in many ways better than the mother who gave us birth”. Unfortunately, due to several economic constraints, cow owners are bound to leave the non-milching cows when they become non-productive. Such stray cows are forced to survive on the garbage and suffer from fatal health problems. The recent ban on illegal slaughterhouses by the government (although rightly so), while beneficial for the cows, has further complicated the situation. These stray cows cause crop damage in villages and become victims of several injuries and casualties via accidents. There are already five million stray cattle officially on the streets of India, and with the ban on slaughterhouses, the numbers are only going to go further up. This is an alarming stage to analyse and tackle this problem in a systematic manner. In order to conquer this problem, it has been observed that Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based model incorporation can provide a solution by integrating stray cows in a circular economy. Donors could provide support to cows through a sustainable AI-based business model that is created in this paper. It provides donors to track their donations in real-time while also caring for cows (Gau Seva). Economical optimization of stray cow by-products: cow dung derivatives like cakes, compost, briquettes, incense sticks, etc., and cow dung as such along with urine can be sold to the biogas/bio fertiliser generation plants for further economic benefits. The real-world application of the model also demonstrates how a community biogas plant can help sustainable energy transitions for our villages and even the cities to become self-reliant and lower their dependency on LPG, which can save millions of dollars per year for the government through lower oil imports for LPG generation. In the long run, the proposed model relies more on internal revenue generation and phasing out the donation part to enable the GAU-based sustainability model for an economy.