Think consequences

Think consequences

SC gives temporary relief but central rules on cattle trade need outright junking.
On May 23 the Modi government notified draconian new rules restricting the sale and purchase of cattle at animal fairs.
Given how painfully these rules had begun squeezing the country's livestock trade and agrarian economy, not to mention downstream industries like leather processing, it's a relief that the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a countrywide stay of this notification, following similar action by the Madras high court. Government told SC that it is considering the various objections and plans to bring in revised rules by August end. But by now it is clear that the May notification is ruinous, with no profit in sight, not even electoral. Instead of pointless patches, it needs outright junking.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often noted that cooperative federalism is the key to India's progress and development. But with the May notification the Centre has trodden contentiously onto states' territory ¬ as states are the ones empowered to make laws on preser vation of cattle. The fig leaf of preventing cruelty to animals is not fooling anyone either. When the parent law specifically allows slaughter of animals for food how can the derivative notification disallow it for all practical purposes?
If the intention really is to stop the infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering on animals, then the real solution is to encourage modernisation of abattoirs, with regulators enforcing rigorous standards for how livestock is treated. A similar problem exists with the ban on liquor vends within 500 metres of highways, which went into effect in April. SC ordered this ban to combat drunken driving but what that really needs is regular patrolling of highways, alongside faster prosecution of cases and strict punishments for the guilty. Here too the laudable objectives have remained inchoate while the injured investments and job losses are all too painfully tangible. It's therefore welcome that even on this front relief came on Tuesday, with SC paving the way for states to denotify highways passing through municipal limits.
In a country that has just crossed the threshold into middle income and that is straining exceedingly to create jobs for its teeming youth, governments and courts must not be indifferent to how their decrees can wreck industries and destroy livelihoods. Surely that would be a textbook example of cruelty.