VRINDAVAN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Monday that ' gau mata' (cow) had been an important and integral part of India's tradition and culture and nobody could ever repay her debt. Speaking before serving the 3 billionth meal prepared by the NGO, Akshay Patra Foundation, he said that his government had started the Rashtriya Gokul Mission to improve cow's health."Today, from the land of Gokul, I wish to talk about a mother whose contribution in our development can never be forgotten. It's 'gau mata' (cow), who has been a vital element of the rural economy of the country and her debts cannot be repaid," Modi said.His remarks came at a time when the contentious issue of stray cattle has seen various agitations, with farmers locking hundreds of bovines in government buildings and schools. To tackle the crisis, the Yogi government just sanctioned Rs 662 crore in its budget to set up cow shelters. Modi said that in the Union budget, his government had allocated Rs 500 crore to establish 'Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog'.After cows, he also invoked the role of farmers as 'anna data', who also own the responsibility of rearing the cattle heard. "My government has launched PM Kisan Yojana for these families, who would be paid Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments. And farmers of UP would be benefitted from this scheme the most," he said.Referring to the the Akshay Patra event, he said, "It is a pleasure to get the opportunity to serve food to these children". He later served food to about 20 underprivileged schoolchildren to mark the 3 billionth meal offered Akshaya Patra. The PM also interacted with the children and later tweeted : "had the honour of serving food to children in Vrindavan today". He also took to Instagram and posted a video of the same with a caption, "Had a good conversation with the children. They did not mind the late lunch".Speaking on the Centre's mission to provide nutritious meals to children, the PM said that in the past 55 months, his government had stressed on the health the mother and the child. The government has made efforts to make a secure circle for childhood, which covers three aspects including child nourishment, vaccination and cleanliness.

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