Lucknow, Feb 9 (Zee News): Prisons in Uttar Pradesh will now serve as 'gaushalas' (cow shelters) and prison inmates will tend the cows. UP Police has said that there is enough space and enough people to take care of cows in jails.

The suggestion to set up cow shelters in jails was given by the Gau Sewa Aayog after which the UP Police decided that 12 prisons of the state can run the 'gaushalas'.

The Gau Sewa Aayog is headed by former IAS officer Rajiv Gupta and has gained a prominent spot in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's regime. The Adityanath government has been keen on cow welfare and had recently cleared the giant project of setting up 1000-capacity gaushalas in seven districts of the state and 16 urban locations.

The government will be helping in the setting up of the cow shelters with proper sheds and boundary walls. A committee is to be set up under the district collector to maintain the shelters with help of NGOs and public.

It also aims to have better sanitation for cows and ensure that there are less incidents of cows dying due to eating plastic. The state government is also planning to free up its own land from illegal encroachment to set up the new cow- shelters in “safe locations” and with full facility for fodder and water.