SHILLONG, JULY 16: Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) Humane Education Officer Dr S Bharat Kumar on Saturday said there are very few state governments in the country that have taken initiatives to set up state animal welfare boards (SAWB).
According to him, the AWBI has been periodically making references to all state governments requesting them to establish SAWB and Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs) in each district.
“Despite continuous efforts of AWBI in this direction, only few state governments have taken initiatives and established their SAWB like, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Kerela etc,” Dr Kumar said while informing that the total number of SPCAs formed so far in the country are only 191 (registered with AWBI).
The AWBI official was delivering his presentation on ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ at a workshop on ‘animal welfare’ organized by the state Directorate of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary held in the city on Saturday.
Through the workshop, the department aimed at involving all stakeholders for their support and cooperation towards activating the SWAB and SPCAs in the state for effective implementation of the PCA Act.
Traditional headmen from different localities of the city besides officials of different department including police and animal rights activists attended the workshop, which is a first of its kind to be held in the state.
In Meghalaya, the SWAB was first constituted in 2009 and reconstituted in 2013. Moreover despite SPCAs having already constituted in all 11 districts, they are yet to start in their functioning.
Dr Kumar said that in order to coordinate various animal welfare activities across the country, it is necessary that state government establish their State Animal Welfare Board and SPCAs in each district as per Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (PCA) Act, 1960.
“The SPCAs will act as watch dogs of the state government to check animal abuse at the grass root level,” he said adding the PCA Act prescribes certain duties and citizen obligations for the welfare of animals and for the prevention of cruelty to animals.
Stating that there are around 1.5 lakh stray dogs, Dr Kumar informed that the centre has started a pilot project for Animal Birth Control (ABC) for sterilization and immunization to address the issue besides there are also schemes for providing ambulances and shelter homes.
Earlier in his inaugural address, Parliamentary Secretary in-charge AH&Vety department Kennedy C Khyriem said, “Animals are all living things God created and their rights have to be protected.”
Stating that there was a close relationship between man and animals during the Neolithic age, he however said, “Over the years, human tend to break that bond and resort to cruelty to animal.”
Khyriem also said that the issue relating to whether it is a question of welfare to keep animals in a cage or zoo with limited rights is something which has also to be discussed at such platform.
Earlier in her speech, Commissioner & Secretary in-charge of the department MHK Marak said that the workshop aims at changing the way we care about the animals.-By Our Reporter
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