PETA India to honour Odisha CM for allocating funds for feeding animals

Bhubaneshwar: Following the allocation of Rs 54 lakh from the Odisha Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to feed animals in five municipal corporations and 48 municipalities of Odisha during the coronavirus lockdown, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India will present Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with a ‘Hero to Animals Award’ for his act of compassion.

“Community animals depend on restaurant waste and handouts, so in a lockdown, if they are not fed, they would starve and suffer,” said PETA India CEO Dr Manilal Valliyate. “We’re thankful to Honourable Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik Ji for allocating funds to ensure that community animals do not go hungry.”

The Chief Minister will receive a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation from PETA India.

The Animal Welfare Board of India issued an advisory on March 23 urging state governments and union territories to allow the feeding of community animals by animal welfare volunteers. Another circular, issued by the central Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying on 23 March, mandated that veterinary services and animal shelters be allowed to function as normal and that veterinary services be included on the list of “essential services”.