Govardhan puja held at Dongargaon gaushala, Gopal-Krishna Gram awards presented

On the state government's directions, a Govardhan puja and the Gopal-Krishna Gram Puraskar distribution ceremony were held at the government gaushala in Dongargaon on Monday as part of the Govardhan festival.

MP Gyaneshwar Patil, Burhanpur MLA Archana Chitnis, Nepanagar MLA Manju Dadu and president Manoj Mane were present. Other public representatives, Collector Vivek Kumar, the Zila Panchayat CEO and Additional Collector Srijan Verma, other officials and villagers also attended.

The guests performed the Govardhan puja and cow worship according to ritual. The importance of protecting and promoting cattle was discussed. Livestock keepers were encouraged to rear animals by scientific methods, save improved breeds and raise milk production. The public representatives present also watched and listened to a live broadcast of the state-level programme.

Livestock keepers who performed best in the competition held under the Gopal-Krishna Gram Puraskar scheme were honoured and given awards.

The scheme aims to protect and promote indigenous breeds of cows, boost milk production and make animal husbandry a profitable occupation in villages. The programme also seeks to spread awareness about cow protection, the economic strengthening of livestock keepers and the government's schemes for the benefit of animal husbandry.