Notable Works and Achievements of
Animal Welfare Board of India
Notable works:
The Board is looking after the matter of prevention of cruelty to animals for the welfare of animals throughout the country through Animal Welfare Organisations/NGOs/SPCAs and animal welfare activists. The Board is implementing several schemes for the welfare of animals by releasing grant-in-aid to animal welfare organizations.
The Board has taken an initiative to establish District SPCAs and State Animal Welfare Boards throughout the country for implementation of the PCA Act and Rules framed there under by interacting with the State Governments.
Awareness programmes, Seminars, Workshops and training programmes for the general public, government officials including police personnel are being carried out to make them become aware of the various animal welfare laws. The Board has published several animal welfare booklets and pamphlets on animal welfare and for distribution.
The board is taking up matters relating to cruelty to animals legally by imp leading it in various legal cases and also by addressing to the State Government authorities whenever reports of cruelty to animals are brought to the notice of the Board.
The Board distributed grants-in-aid over Rs.10 crores in the year 2001- 2002 and 2002-2003 to around thousand AWOs under the Mahavir Grant received from Ministry of Culture. The Board was also the nodal agency for implementing the scheme of institutional bio-gas plants in AWOs in the year2001-2001 to 2004-2005 under the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Govt. of India.
The Board is also implementing a scheme from 1998-99 onwards for maintenance of rescued animals from illegal slaughter house/transportation by releasing grants-in-aid to AWOs which have sheltered these rescued animals.
Notable Achievements:
1. Introducing a new concept of participatory Animal Birth Control Programme (ABC) for stray dogs with Civic Bodies making them stake holders to share 50% cost of ABC Surgery to enlarge the scope of the programme for sterilization of stray / community Dogs to control their population and Rabies – a fatal Zoonotic disease. (MOUs under this initiative have since been signed with Municipal Corporations of Delhi, NDMC, Shimla, Chennai, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Leh).
2. Organized a two day integrated National Workshop on Controlling the Population of Stray Dogs and Road Map to Rabies Free India in collaboration with National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Department of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture at National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi. The workshop made recommendations on the strategies to control Rabies in dogs and to expand the scope of ABC Programme. The workshop strongly recommended registration and vaccination of pet dogs and to frame necessary rules for the same.
3. Organizing training programme for Gaushala personnel to utilize full energy potential of cow dung (Biomass) by producing Biogas and Vermicompost from cow dung (Bio fertilizer) for organic farming, to achieve self sustenance & to act as training centers for farmers. This has also lead to environmental protection by utilizing Green House Gases from Biomass in Gaushalas all over the country.
4. For the first time, starting a new 3 weeks Vet Train Programme at National Institute of Animal Welfare (NIAW) for training of Vets / Para Vets / Dog Catchers for NGOs/ Civic bodies/ State / Central Govt. to empower them to do sterilization of Stray Dogs (Animal Birth Control Surgeries) in a professional manner observing the latest techniques and protocols to enlarge the scope of sterilization programme of stray dogs all over India.
5. Revising Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 to give it more teeth for implementation of animal protection laws and to remove out dated provisions. The revised draft has been forwarded to Ministry of Environment and Forests for further action.
6. Updating some of the Transport of Animal Rules to prevent cruelties during transportation of animals.
7. Formulating guidelines for Euthanasia for animals suffering from incurable diseases/ incurably injured etc. to cut short their suffering.
8. Formulating a SOP for Animal Birth Control – (Spay – neuter surgery) for Stray Dogs to have a uniform code of practice for guidance of NGOs / Veterinarians / AWOs / SPCAs implementing ABC programme. This has evoked excellent response from all quarters. The SOP was released by Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Environment and Forests.
9. Conducting workshops on Human Education at Channai and Hyderabad devising a new approach for creating awareness of compassion and kindness for animals in the Society targeting the School Children, concerned Citizens, Police and Govt. Officials etc.
10. Making NGOs/AWOs more accountable for the grant-in-aid given for carrying out animal welfare activities. Board has taken concrete steps to prevent dubious NGOs from misusing Government Money, wherever such instances of misappropriation of funds by the AWOs/NGOs have come to its notice, it has also initiated legal action against the defaulters.
12. Starting A new initiative of conducting Animal Welfare Awareness National Rallies by the Board Marking the celebration of Animal Welfare Fortnights. SWBI organized and conducted two successful National Rallies in January 2009 and again in January 2010. These national rallies were flagged off from Paryavaran Bhawan by Hon’ble Minister and leter by Secretary, MoEF respectively. Both the rallies did a commendable job in creating awareness in school children, citizens and Police officials for humane treatment of animals and sinsitizing human’s obligation to protect the speechless animals from abuse, auffering and cruelty. The rally covered Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.
13. Appointed 450 compassionate citizens as Honorary Animal Welfare Officers from NGOs / Gaushalas/ RWAs to spread the message of compassion and love for animals and to check cruelties against animals.
14. Initiated unique pilot projects for generating electricity from Biomass (Cow Dung) in Gaushalas in an effort to address the problems of Green House Gasses (Methane), Sanitation and Environmental Pollution from huge quantity of Cattle Dung lying unutilized in Gaushalas besides making them financially sustainable. Five pilot projects for generating 350 KW Electricity in Gaushalas having more than 3000 animals are in progress with the help of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. This model will be replicated in other Gaushalas also.
15. Taken up a case with Ministry of Human Resource Development to include Animal Welfare as part of Environment Education Syllabus in the curriculum of school children from class I to class XII.
16. With successful implementation of ABC programme in Chennai and Jaipur, both the cities have become Rabies free now. This is a huge pay off from the implementation of the ABC (Dogs) rules 2001.
17. Ensured that 100% Financial Grants reach the NGOs. There has been on audit objection / observation by the auditors with regard to any financial misappropriation / complaints from NGOs in this regard in the last 3 year.
KP
(Release ID :64716)