The Uttar Pradesh government’s ayurvedic pharmacy at Pilibhit, which is one of the two in the state, has prepared a proposal to collect, process and sell packaged bottles of cow urine as a health drink. The pharmacy presently supplies ayurvedic medicines prepared here to government centres in 16 districts of UP.

Dr Prakash Chandra Saxena, principal and superintendent of Government Ayurveda College and Hospital in Pilibhit, said, “Not just for medicinal purposes, we will promote cow urine as a health-giving drink. We have prepared a plan and will discuss it with the ayurveda department in Lucknow for approval. Drinking 10 ml to 20 ml cow urine daily will act as a preventive against seasonal diseases like fever, cough and stomach-related ailments. Daily consumption of cow urine will also help increase people’s immunity. Our aim is to make cow urine easily available to the common public.”

Asked how the pharmacy plans to collect cow urine on such a large scale, Saxena said, “We are considering contacting dairies and gaushalas (cow shelters) run by the government and NGOs. We will soon discuss with experts and director of the ayurveda department to chalk out details of the project.”

Apart from supplying packaged bottles of cow urine, the pharmacy has decided to prepare herbal medicines using cow urine from this month. “The state government has placed the order and we will start making medicines using cow urine by this month. These drugs will be used in curing several ailments, including fever, jaundice, piles and stomach-and liver-related diseases. Several researches have shown that cow urine, which is an integral part of ayurveda, is beneficial for health,” said Dr Naresh Chandra Gangwar, in-charge of the pharmacy.

“At a later stage, we may plan to prepare medicines using cow urine for other diseases, including cancer and skin-related problems. As ayurvedic medicines have no side-effects, its demand is increasing in the country,” Gangwar added.

In July 2017, the Centre set up a 19-member panel, including three members linked to the RSS and VHP, to carry out what it said would be scientifically validated research on cow derivatives, including urine, and their benefits, according to an inter-departmental circular and members of the panel.

The government has given the project the acronym SVAROP, which stands for Scientific Validation and Research on Panchagavya, and says it is a “national programme” that is being conducted by the department of science and technology, department of bio-technology, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of the ministry of science and technology in collaboration with IIT-Delhi.

The Adityanath government has also cleared setting up 1000-capacity gaushalas (cow-shelters) in seven districts of the state and 16 urban locations in phase one of a giant project which could eventually see such shelters in every block of UP.

The government will help build these new cow shelters with proper sheds and boundary walls and a committee under the district collector is being set up to maintain them with help of NGOs and public.