Odisha: Move to feed stray animals during lockdown

BHUBANESWAR: The housing and urban development department of the state has urged the urban local bodies (ULBs) to take up the feeding of stray animals during the ongoing lockdown period.
Thousands of stray animals in the state will have a hard time finding food leading to starvation and other consequential issues due to the resurgence of Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown in the state from May 5 to May 19.
Therefore, the government has directed all ULBs in the state to make necessary provision of food for the stray animals during the lockdown period.
“The ULBs are advised to meet the expenditures out of the funds available with them from various sources including own source revenue or subject to recoupment from the special relief commissioner (SRC) or chief minister’s relief fund (CMRF) sources,” read a letter issued by department secretary G Mathi Vathanan.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation can spend Rs 20,000 per day for this purpose, while Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur municipal corporations can spend Rs 10,000 per day.
The expenditure is Rs 5000 per day for municipalities and Rs 2000 per day for NACs. ULBs may co-opt and partner with organisations working for animal welfare in their ULBs.
The government had also started this initiative during the first wave of Covid-19 last year to feed stray animals during the lockdown period.