JAIPUR: Agriculture and animal husbandry minister Lalchand Kataria surprised everyone by making a blunt statement in the assembly regarding conservation of camel.
On the question of giving camel the status of a state animal, the minister said, “Why camel has been given the status of a state animal and what are its benefits, I am not aware of it. I was not present here in 2015 when the same House passed Act and declared the camel as the state animal.”
The minister was referring to the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter & Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 2015 that put restrictions on camel trade and put restrictions on the transportation of the animal both inside and outside the state while declaring camel the state animal.
Amidst the discussion on the question by Amin Khan, speaker CP Joshi also intervened and asked the Minister to tell the House why the government has declared camels as the state animal and what are its advantages in comparison to other animals? In response to the Speaker, Minister gave this surprising answer.
Instead of enumerating the benefits of camels as a state animal, he bluntly told the House that he had no knowledge about it. However, he assured the House that the present conditions of camels in the state are worrying and need protection.
