Lucknow, March 20 -- The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday launched a drive to tag cattle in villages abutting highways with radium strips. The campaign aims to bring down the number of accidents involving cattle on highways and other key roads.

Animal husbandry minister Dharampal Singh formally inaugurated the radium strip distribution programme at Qazi Khera in the state capital's Gosainganj block. The programme, which will now be implemented in all villages near highways, will target cattle owned by farmers.

The initiative was initially mooted after transport commissioner Chandrabhushan Singh urged additional chief secretary of animal husbandry to tag fluorescent tapes on stray animals to reduce road accidents. After this, the pr...