Bhubaneswar: PETA India will present Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with a ‘Hero to Animals Award’ for his compassionate act of allocating Rs 54 lakhs from a relief fund to feed community animals in five municipal corporations and all 48 municipalities of Odisha during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The central government advisory body the Animal Welfare Board of India issued an advisory on 23 March urging state governments and union territories to allow animal welfare volunteers to feed community animals.
Another circular, issued by the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries 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“.
Patnaik received a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation from PETA India.