UGC Proposes ‘Cow Science’ Exam On Feb 25, Asks VCs To Promote

New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all universities across India to “encourage” their students to take the ‘Kamdhenu Gau Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Examination’, a national-level exam being planned to test people’s knowledge of ‘gau vigyan’ or ‘cow science’.

The commission has also asked for wider dissemination of information regarding the exam.

The University Grants Commission has asked Vice-Chancellors of varsities across the country to 'encourage' students to take an online voluntary national-level exam to test their knowledge on 'Gau Vigyan' (Cow Science).

The 'Kamdhenu Gau Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Examination', for which there is no registration fee, will be conducted online on 25 February. And will be open to students studying in primary, secondary, and senior secondary schools, and even colleges.

The test is being conducted by the Rashtriya Kamadhenu Aayog (RKA). Anyone from the general public can also take the hour-long exam that will be held in 12 regional languages, besides English.

Apart from English and Hindi, the exam will be conducted in 10 regional languages — Gujarati, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, and Odia.

In a notice sent to the vice-chancellors of all universities on Monday, 15th February, UGC Secretary Prof. Rajnish Jain told them to give “wide publicity to this initiative”.

“As you are aware Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, established in February 2019, has been working on dissemination of information on economic, scientific, environmental, health, agriculture, and spiritual relevance of indigenous cow in the country. Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog is going to conduct an All India On-Line ‘Kamdhenu Gau Vigyan Prachar- Prasar Examination’ on 25th February 2021 for students of primary, secondary & senior secondary schools/ colleges/ universities and for all citizens,” as read, seen, and reported by The Print.

Jain added: “I write this to request you, to give wide publicity to this initiative and encourage students to enroll/ register themselves for this examination. This may also be brought to the notice of the colleges affiliated to your university.” All participants of the examination will be given appreciation certificates. Successful meritorious candidates will be given prizes and certificates.

The letter comes days ahead of the exam, scheduled to be held online on February 25. The nationwide exam is being conducted by Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog, an agency established for the protection of cows under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. It will be conducted in four categories – primary level (up to Class 8), secondary level (Class 9 to 12), college-level (after Class 12), and for the general public.

Earlier, the Aayog had uploaded a 54-page “reference material” for those who want to appear in the exam. The material described cow dung as “antiseptic”, “tooth polish” and having “anti-radioactive” properties. The document, which went viral soon after it was uploaded, is no longer available on the Aayog’s website.

On January 5, the Aayog had announced its plan to conduct a nationwide online examination on cow science to “infuse curiosity” among people about the importance of cows and to “sensitize and educate” them.

Cow awareness

Announcing the exams in January, RKA chief Vallabhbhai Kathiria had said there is a need for the exam because there is not much awareness regarding the scientific qualities of cows.

“Gau Mata is revered in India, but not much has been done to educate the masses about its qualities over the past few years,” Kathiria had said.

He had added that the exam will not only serve as an “informative exam” but also make Indians aware of the “unexplored potential and business opportunities a cow can offer, even after it stops giving milk”.

“Its so-called waste products like cow dung and cow urine, which are cheap and abundantly available, are biodegradable and environment-friendly. Hence, these can be gainfully used by cow entrepreneurs to make cow-rearing sustainable, which in turn can contribute towards the economic growth of the country,” Kathiria had said.