Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh is considering the option of selling the meat of Kadaknath chicken at milk stalls to meet the growing demand for chicken. This move was, however, opposed by BJP MLA, Rameshwar Sharma who said that selling meat and milk together would hurt "religious sentiments" as cow milk is considered "pious". The Congress government has launched a pilot test of the project at a parlour in Vaishali Nagar area of MP. This parlour is run by the Madhya Pradesh State Livestock and Poultry Development Cooperation (MPSLPDC).

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'Sucess of Pilot Test to Decide Launch of Chicken-Milk Booth'

The current price of Kadaknath chicken is Rs 900 per kg. The black meat of Kadaknath bird, local to the Jhabua district in MP, is popular for its nutritious content and alleged medicinal properties. "We have set up a booth to sell Kadaknath chicken in Bhopal on an experimental basis. We are discussing the plans to set up such parlours across the state," a government minister said. The future of the project would depend on the success of the pilot project. The government has still not decided whether to set up such shops under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

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The BJP MLA still disagrees with Kamal Nath-led government's idea of selling milk and chicken together. "Cow milk and Kadaknath chicken meat should not be sold together in one booth. This will hurt religious sentiments. Cow milk is considered pious and is used for religious purpose. It is also used during fasting. I will urge the government to set up separate parlours for selling milk and the Kadaknath chicken," Sharma said.

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MP Minister clarifies the booth setup

When confronted with objections like Rameshwar Sharma's, the MP minister clarified about the setup for such booths and said that there would be separate cabins to sell both the products inside the parlour. "Chicken will be sold in a separate part with exclusive storage and milk in another part which is completely separate." In August 2018, the popular Kadaknath chicken meat had secured a Geographical Indication (GI) tag denoting that the product comes from a particular geographical area.

(with PTI inputs)

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