Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sanctioned an amount of Rs 60 lakh from the CM Relief Fund in order to enable local bodies to feed stray animals during the Covid-19 lockdown.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The amount has been sanctioned from the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF)
- Five municipal corporations will be able to spend Rs 20,000 a day feeding stray animals
- The initiative will be carried out with the help of volunteers, said Odisha's public information dept
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sanctioned funds from the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) for a special cause. This sum of Rs 60 lakh will be utilised to feed stray animals during the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown in parts of the state.
Like several parts of the country, Odisha has also put measures in place to break the chain of transmission. Such restrictions are being enforced across five metropolitan corporations, 48 municipalities and 61 notified area councils (NACs).
"Animals such as stray dogs and cattle are facing a food shortage owing to the lockdown," said a tweet by the Odisha public information department.
The Odisha government decided to make arrangements after taking into account that locals in places where a lockdown is in place will not be able to feed stray animals. This will now be done through volunteers and voluntary organisations.
The amount sanctioned by CM Naveen Patnaik will allow Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Brahmapur metropolitan corporations to spend Rs 20,000 a day for this purpose. Similarly, the municipalities have been permitted to spend Rs 5,000 a day and NACs Rs 2,000 a day on feeding stray animals.
Vaccination drive in Odisha
Odisha has started procuring Covid-19 vaccines for those in the state aged between 18 and 44 using the state's own funds.
The state government has also inked a deal with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech for a vaccine production plant near the capital city of Bhubaneswar.
In a letter to all district collectors on Saturday, Odisha Chief Secretary PK Mohaptra said that vaccinations for those aged 18-44 will begin only in five municipal corporations in the state for now owing to the short supply of doses by the makers.
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