India To Give Cows ID Cards

India plans to give 88 million cows 'identity cards' which can be tracked online. Now cows and buffaloes in India will be given 'animal health cards', similar to the Aadhar system already in place for Indian citizens.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has initiated a plan to assign unique 12-digit identification numbers to 88 million cattle in India by the end of 2017.

Yellow tags are being placed on the animals' ears by 100,000 technicians across the country in an effort to boost the income of the dairy sector by 2022.

The card, held by the owner, will track activities and provide information to ensure cattle can be vaccinated on time, breeding cycles can be better monitored, and scientific intervention can be made resulting in better breeding and an increase in quality milk production.

The tags are tamper-proof and designed to last for years. They weigh just 8 grams, to cause minimum inconvenience to the animals that are sacred for the Hindu community.