new Delhi . In India, an authority is appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect the cows, which are worshiped as sacred there. Shortly after his announcement, however, appropriate teaching material on cow science caused controversy – the authority therefore temporarily removed it from its website, as a spokesperson in New Delhi said.

According to local media, the learning material says that killing cows causes earthquakes – and Indian cows’ milk has traces of gold. People living in homes with dung-coated walls also posed a serious risk of gas leakage in 1984.

According to the website, foreigners could also participate in the one-hour online examination on 25 February. The successful trial is an attractive amount for participants, a spokeswoman for the officials said. In a communication from the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Farming, it states on the learning material: “This will make all Indians curious about cows and inform them of untapped potential and commercial opportunities (…).”

In India, cows are considered sacred to the majority of the Hindu population, but according to traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine, cow’s milk, cow urine and cow dung are considered medical. However, many farmers abandon old female cows when they do not provide milk and are no longer financially viable. Many animals die in traffic. The government of India has increasingly politicized cows, invested a lot of money for their safety and for cow science and in some cases banned the killing of these animals.