00:00on the world stage India and the United States are staring down a crisis over milk but this
00:16isn't just about trade or tariffs at the heart of the debate is a question can India's centuries
00:21old cultural reverence and economic backbone withstand a wave of American non-veg milk
00:30as negotiators push to finalize a major India US trade deal milk has become the unexpected sticking
00:39point why so India demands a strict certification that any imported dairy must come from cows never
00:46fed animal-based products no meat no blood no bone meal for India this isn't about protectionism
00:53it's a non-negotiable red line deeply rooted in faith food purity and tradition
00:59that's the government's official line millions of Indians particularly Hindus regard the cow as
01:05sacred milk to them isn't just protein it's stress Adam nourishment life-giving and pure
01:12letting in milk from animals fed on animal remains for many that crosses a line so what does America
01:21feed its cows unlike Indian traditions US dairy cattle feeds are about maximizing output even
01:28if it means feeding animal by-products big fish or chicken parts blood from pigs or horses tallow rendered
01:38cattle fat these are all allowed the US sees this as efficiency but for India it's sacrilege
01:50India's food culture especially around milk is 5,000 years old if not more making it the world's
01:56largest producer and consumer of milk for millions adherence to sattvic traditions is non-negotiable the
02:05right to set standards that uphold cultural and religious beliefs is enshrined in international trade
02:11frameworks on public morals and food safety India has the economic right to ask eight crore livelihoods
02:18depend on daring the silent heart of rural India if the market opens to subsidize US imports Indian
02:26farmers could lose over 1 lakh crore rupees every year compared to the world India's dairy model empowers
02:33micro entrepreneurs small co-ops and rural women unlike many Western industrialized dairy sectors so
02:41what is at stake for India then this isn't just an argument about tariffs or access it's about
02:47defending a way of life the dignity of rural work and a commitment to purity that stretches from the
02:54Pooja plate to the breakfast table
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