NEW DELHI, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The northern Indian state of Uttarakhand Assembly passed a resolution unanimously to declare cow the mother of nation, officials said Thursday.

The resolution to declare cow "Rashtra Mata" (mother of nation) was passed on Wednesday.

"It was moved by state Animal Husbandry Minister Rekha Arya and passed unanimously after it got the support of both the Opposition and treasury benches," local government officials said. "The resolution will now be sent to the federal government for approval."

With this Uttarakhand becomes the first Indian state to pass resolution to declare cow as mother of nation.

Arya said if cow is accorded the status of mother of nation required steps would be taken to protect the animal from being slaughtered.

Leader of Opposition Indira Hridyesh sought the government stance on abandoned bovines.

Majority of Hindus consider cow to be sacred, and its slaughtering is banned in most Indian states.

Cow slaughtering is a sensitive issue in India and sometimes flares up communal passions. Beef, however, is part of diet to many minority groups in the country, who consume it without any taboo.

To defend cows, groups under the patronage of rightwing Hindu organisations have come up in rural areas of India to protect them and stop sale of beef. The groups routinely check vehicles and often beat up cattle traders.