Animal Lovers

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Let’s beat Corona with Karuna i.e. by showing Compassion to our Neighbourhood Animals & the Poor, says PM Modi in a Televised address to the Nation

Prime Minister Modi urged fellow Indians to show the spirit of “Compassion” to ovetcome the threat of Coronavirus in the country. He said this while he was interacting with the people of his Lok Sabha constituency — Varanasi — via video conference on Wednesday, 25th March 2020.“Whoever has the capability, take the pledge to take care of 9 families for 21 days. It will be a true ‘Navratri’. Due to the lockdown, animals are also facing trouble. I appeal to the people to take care of the animals around them,” said Prime Minister Modi. (Read the full article here).

By saying what he has today, PM Modi has only reiterated the importance of being a Compassionate Citizen of the Country, which is a Fundamental duty of every Indian Citizen as per the Indian Constitution, as well.

Please watch full video of his address below. He says the above between 25 minutes to 26.30 minutes in his address🙏

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Veterinary services must go on, animals can’t and shouldn’t suffer during COVID-19, PM Modi & Central Govt tells states

Please carry printouts of the PM’s advisory to the States about street animal welfare, and the letter from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu, to show the authorities if they stop you from feeding.

Please also keep an eye out for animals that may be suffering inside closed pet shops and inform the authorities immediately.

Sharing the same below for ready reference:

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News Article in ‘The Print’ dated 23rd March by Journalist Sanya Dhingra (Please scroll below for relevant images, that you can download, print and keep handy, while you feed/look after animals in need and street animals in general. This is the time to show humanity, kindness and compassion to all living beings)

The Narendra Modi government has told all states to ensure that medical help for animals is treated as an essential service, which does not get suspended during COVID-19 lockdowns across the country.

While several states announced lockdowns Sunday in a bid to arrest the spread of the deadly disease in India, they did not include veterinary services in the list of essential services that would be exempt under it.

In a letter addressed to all chief secretaries dated 23rd March, the Centre said, “It is requested that veterinary hospitals and dispensaries in the state, including private veterinary clinics, veterinary pathologies, animal shelters etc. function in the normal course and the veterinary services be considered in the list of ‘Essential Services’.”

The letter, written by the joint secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu said, “It is necessary to ensure continuous emergency services in the animal husbandry and veterinary sector, especially in emergent animal health issues situations.

“These May include but are not restricted to, emergency services like disease diagnosis and treatment, monitoring of any emergency livestock and poultry diseases, immediate disease reporting, etc.”

However, the government has urged veterinarians and other related officials to ensure strict personal hygiene and avoid public gatherings.

‘Animals and birds should not suffer during lockdown’

On the same day, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) wrote another letter to all states emphasising that all law enforcement agencies ensure that animals and birds do not suffer due to hunger during the lockdown due to COVID-19.

Please carry printouts of the PM’s advisory to the States about street animal welfare, and the letter from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Upamanyu Basu, to show the authorities if they stop you from feeding. Please also keep an eye out for animals that may be suffering inside closed pet shops and inform the authorities immediately.

“This is a valuable service consistently provided by compassionate individuals and the absence of it may cause a large number of animals and birds to suffer and die and carcasses of the dead animals and birds may further spread different diseases amongst community which will be difficult to control,” Dr O.P. Chaudhary, Director of the AWBI has written.

Meanwhile Delhi Government has issued the following order as well.

“The situation is quite alarming,” BJP MP Maneka Gandhi said. “In some places, food is being stopped…No animal grains and chara is being allowed to come to Haryana from UP. Even pedigree from Hyderabad is being stopped by Mumbai,” she said.

“Animals and birds cannot be allowed to starve in the country in this manner.”

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Continue feeding street animals, they do not transmit Coronavirus to Humans – Mrs. Maneka Gandhi

Senior BJP Leader and Member of Parliament, Maneka Gandhi on Saturday said that “The coronavirus is not transmitted through live animals.” Please scroll below to watch a news clipping, on this subject.

She has also issued a letter on her letterhead earlier today on 23rd March 2020, which is shared below-

All Animal care takers and Feeders can keep this letter by Mrs. Maneka Gandhi, Honourable Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha, Government of India) handy in case they are stopped by authorities while feeding community animals.

Share this letter with your RWA’s and nearest Police Station.

Please take a print out of this letter, if possible or save it on your phone, and keep it handy when you are stepping out for an animal rescue or to feed them.

A humble request to all, be kind towards animals:

Please make two extra Chapatis/Rotis daily in your home for street dogs/Cows and other stray animals who will have no means of feeding themselves since all the Restaurants/Dhabas/Food Carts are closed now due to coronavirus lockdown.

Most of the stray animals survive on leftover food provided by Hotel/Dhaba staff. These animals will starve to death in case of a prolonged lockdown. You can handover these breads to your society/ Apartment staff to be kept outside for animals. Spread the message to all the people in your circle.

Let’s all give it a try, and share this message so more and more people can do the good deed of feeding streer animals in these trying times.

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Mrs. Maneka Gandhi addresses the Media to bust myths.

While addressing the press, Maneka Gandhi said, “It has brought in the notice that the government department and several insurance agencies are creating a false panic in the coronavirus through issuing false advisories.”

She said, “These agencies are taking out the advisories on the Coronavirus, which are not confirmed by the health department by saying that nobody should go to live animals.”

“This is completely false and misleading… As the health department of India has said that the animal does not have coronavirus and cannot transmit the virus,” she said.

Adding to the statement, Maneka said, “I would advise the Ministry of Electronics, Insurance companies, and the ministry of railways not to run fake ads on this.”

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Coronavirus cannot spread through live animals, continue feeding street animals. This is the moment to be kind and humane.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory body under the Government of India, has written to the chief secretaries of all State governments and Union Territories to ensure the well-being of pet animals amid the Corona virus threat.

In a circular, AWBI Chairman Mr. O. P Chaudhary said that, “It was brought to the notice of the Board that the animal owners are depriving their pets of proper food, water or shelter due to the increasing threat of the virus.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has clarified that dogs and cats are not involved in spreading infection in the current episode of coronavirus infection. “The Board has already issued an advisory to the State government sand UTs to see that the stray animals are taken care of by the local bodies as it their responsibility,” Chaudhary said.

Hence, the AWBI chief has requested the governments to create awareness about animal welfare and advise them against abandoning their pets.

Even fimstars, like Arjun Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Kriti Sanon, Mini Mathur and many more kind hearts, are urging their fans and followers on their Instagram feeds to continue feeding street animals, more so now, when eateries, their primary source of scavenging for food, are shut.