They may survive the drought. But they cannot survive government policies. When people have to abandon their livestock, they are reduced to misery, as is happening in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Because India's rural economy is built around livestock, which carries more freight and passengers than the Indian Railways, sustains the poorest of the poor, and provides renewable energy and organic manure. Then why is India's livestock labelled 'unproductive' and 'damaging' to the environment, asks Sopan Joshi