CHENNAI : # NoMore50 is a movement aimed at raising awareness and taking a stand against animal cruelty; it is the call to amend the obsolete PCA (The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Act of 1960 after 63 years. Imagine someone around you has committed a horrendous act of cruelty towards an animal.
If convicted under the PCA Act and found to be a first-time offender, they can escape punishment by paying a small fine of Rs 10 to Rs 50, and if found to be a repeated crime within the last three years, the maximum punishment would be a fine between Rs 25 and Rs 100 or a prison sentence of three months. The number ‘50’ refers to the abysmally low fine stipulated.
This issue has arisen as the penalty fails to match the severity of the crime, especially since that Act has never been amended earlier. With the penalty amounting to less than a US dollar, the urgency to address this discrepancy becomes all the more evident.
We, as compassionate humans, should be a voice for these voiceless animals and create a world where they are treated with kindness and respect. Furthermore, we can join forces with organisations like HSI India and PFI India to help introduce a PCA amendment bill in Parliament. Let us collectively take a vow to raise our voice so high that the offenders will think a hundred times before committing any such inhumane acts.