new delhi in a big push for animal welfare the delhi government said on wednesday it would open pg hostels for cows whose owners do not have space to keep them build a gaushalacumold age home where the elderly would live in the company of cows and tag all pets and cattle in the city with microchips to monitor their health and identify owners besides establishing 272 animal hospitals one in each wardunveiling its animal health and welfare policy 2018 development minister gopal rai said the animal husbandry department was being renamed animal health and welfare department to give it a welfare orientation the government also plans to open 11 animal mortuaries with postmortem facilities incinerators for disposal of animal carcasses and build more gaushalasit has identified a site in ghummanhera village southwest delhi for a modern stateoftheart gaushalacumold age home for the elderly who want to serve cows a concept that has met with some success in gujarat tnn with the plan to tag pets and cattle the government said it will be able to monitor the vaccination records and the location of animals which will also lead to checking the number of abandoned animals on the streets animals will be tagged so that the owners who abandon these animals can be identified and further steps in this direction can be taken gopal rai saidhe however said that details about whether the government will undertake the tagging exercise or leave it to the owners with penalties for noncompliance will be worked out laterthe policy also calls for birth control programme for monkeys and stray dogs in view of the monkey menace reported from many parts of the city it said new animal birth control centres will be set up the policy also notes that the sterilization of stray dogs being carried out through ngos has not been satisfactoryno policy for animal welfare was ever made we have made this policy with an eye on the welfare of animals which will guide the governments animal welfare programme the policy will be updated from time to time according to the feedback we receive rai said after a meeting with department officials animal welfare groups and veterinary expertsaccording to the department the pg accommodations for cows will allow people who want to keep cows but do not have space for creating cowsheds it will also address the issue of owners deserting cows when they do not give milk the owners will have to pay for the pg services where treatment and health facilities will also be given to the cows said an officialthe government is planning to open around 33 gaushalas across the city to give shelter to deserted cows and restructure the existing five gaushalas of delhi with stateofthe art infrastructure and modern design in ghummanhera village a gaushala and oldage home will be built in the same complex to allow the willing elderlies to serve cows said the ministerthe government will make delhi rabiesfree for which animal checkposts on interstate