As the lockdown is extended, it means different things for different people. While the fairly privileged have to suffer some more being locked in homes, thousands of others are stranded and penny-less. Meanwhile, there are also those who can’t even complain - the voiceless animals starving on the streets. The pandemic has made the innocent lives suffer as they’re left to fend for themselves, with nobody to feed them. However, good news has come in from Bhubaneswar, as the Odisha government has decided to shell out additional money just to feed stray animals.
The Chief Minister’s Relief fund (CMRF) has decided to allocate Rs 80.18 lakhs to 114 urban local bodies (ULBs) to feed stray dogs and animals till the period of the extended lockdown i.e. May 3rd. This is in addition to the Rs 54 lakhs that were allocated for this purpose earlier.
According to a report in TOI, the state government has sanctioned Rs 3.80 lakhs for the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation for feeding stray animals, and another Rs 7.6 lakhs each to four more Municipal corporations at Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur. Similarly, Rs 45.60 lakh has been sanctioned for 48 municipal corporations and another 23 lakhs for 61 other councils. The move is aimed at protecting the animals from starvation, as well as minimising aggressive behaviour which results from hunger. The authorities have been asked to work with animal welfare organisations to ensure a smooth flow.
This news comes in as a breather especially considering how numerous cases of people being harassed for feeding helpless animals have come out recently. It is important to understand that unlike us, the poor animals can not ask for help, and rely solely on us to survive every day. With food stalls shut across the country, they do not even have access to leftovers that people throw in garbage cans. In times as desperate and bleak as these, it is imperative that we think of everyone - human or not - and how we can help those who are most in need of it.
With inputs from TOI.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)