CHENNAI: With a rise in complaints of animal cruelty and issues surrounding strays, the State government has decided to include animal rights activists in the reconstituted Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board for better public outreach.
So far, the board was run by bureaucrats acting as ex-officio members and CM was the chairman. Now, necessary amendments were made to create three honorary member posts. According to a GOissued by Additional Chief Secretary of Animal Husbandry Department TS Jawahar recently, the board was reconstituted on July 26 and two animal welfare activists—Shruti Vinodh Raj and AP Nambi—were nominated as honorary members. They were carefully selected based on merit and past credentials from several applications received. The board is looking to fill the third post as well.
Shruti comes with a decade of experience in animal welfare and currently serves as a member of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) and the animal birth control monitoring committee of the Greater Chennai Corporation. Shruti regularly coordinates with law enforcement agencies in rescuing animals from illegal trade. A week ago, 18 camels were rescued from getting slaughtered. The other honorary member AP Nambi is a former professor of the TANUVAS.
Sources said the decision to have a dedicated animal welfare board for Tamil Nadu was taken in 2018, after the Jallikattu protests, activists were deliberately kept out of the board all these years due to their outright opposition to Jallikattu and other lingering issues.
However, the government, having successfully preserved the traditional sport, is viewing things differently in the larger interest of animals, both domestic and the wild. For instance, the government announced the Vallalar Palluyir Kappagangal scheme in the last State budget, allocating Rs 20 cr to support NGOs that take care of abandoned and injured pets and stray animals. It was hailed by animal rights activists.
Shravan Krishnan of the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary said, “The board should come with standard protocols, regular inspections should be carried out and monthly reports should be sought. Inclusion of activists will aid bureaucrats in decision making.”