Lucknow, July 3 (PTI): A cow shelter run by Aparna Yadav, sister-in-law of Akhilesh Yadav, had bagged nearly 86 per cent of the grants given for cow welfare when Akhilesh was Chief Minister heading the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh.

The government’s Gau Sewa Aayog, in its reply to a right-to-information request filed by one Nutan Thakur, said Jeev Ashraya, a non-governmental organisation run by Aparna, secured Rs 8.35 crore of the total of Rs 9.66 crore sanctioned by the government from 2012 to 2017.

Aparna is the wife of Prateek Yadav, step-brother of Akhilesh. Her NGO runs a gaushala or cowshed at Amausi in Lucknow district.

Nutan Thakur is the wife of Indian Police Service officer Amitabh Thakur, who had running feud with the SP’s first family.

The Aayog comes under the state animal husbandry department and gives funds to cowsheds and organisations working for the welfare of cows.

Akhilesh and his SP lost power to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the February-March Assembly elections this year.

The Aayog said that, during the financial years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15, Jeev Ashraya was given Rs 49.89 lakh, Rs 1.25 crore and Rs 1.41 crore, respectively.

In the financial year 2015-16, Jeev Ashray got Rs 2.58 crore, while Sripad Baba Goshala in Vrindavan got Rs 41 lakh, the RTI reply stated.

After the SP’s ouster, no funds have been granted to Jeev Ashraya in the current financial year 2017-18, although Rs 1.05 crore has been given to various gaushalas.

Dayodaya Goshala in Lalitpur got the highest amount, Rs 63 lakh, it said.

Aparna Yadav was not immediately available for comments.