If setting up the National Cow Commission and conducting an all-India level competitive exam on cows wasn't hilarious enough, the country's cow body on Monday published a 54-page booklet for the 500,000 candidates preparing for the "tough" test, making bizarre claims about Indian cows' magical powers.

The national cow body, the job of which involves milking the benefits of cows, went a little too far. While attempting to establish the "superiority" of Indian cows, it described them as "clever, warm and hard-working creatures who don't sit in dirty places," and rejected Jersey cows (a British breed, also found in Australia and New Zealand, famous for its high-quality milk) as "lazy, dirty and dumb."

But it wasn't just about their temperament and emotions. What was asserted further defies science and logic. "Indian cow's milk is light yellow in color because of traces of gold in it; cow dung has antiseptic, anti-radioactive and anti-thermal properties," it read, adding "by regularly taking cow urine before sickness, we gain so much immunity that any attack of diseases is repulsed…the only disadvantage of Gaumutra (mother cow) is its smell or taste."

The rib-tickling banality of these declarations has elicited international embarrassment and ridicule from scientists, forcing the "cow science authorities" to indefinitely postpone the inaugural examination, which was earlier scheduled for February 25.

In February 2020, over 500 Indian scientists wrote an open letter to the government, requesting to halt plans of extensive research into the "uniqueness" of indigenous cows and the healing properties of cow urine, dung, and milk. They labeled the assertions as "unscientific" and a "misdirection of public money."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party, which stormed into power in 2014, has enlisted cow protection as one of its top priorities. Dozens of people have been killed in the past five years by "cow protection squads" for allegedly smuggling beef.

(With input from agencies)