Draft Animal Welfare Bill 2011
India's Union environment ministry has prepared the Draft Animal Welfare Bill 2011, recommending stringent punishment and heavy fines for torturing animals and sent it for inter-ministerial consultations prior to the Cabinet's approval.
"Draft Animal Welfare Bill 2011 has been sent for inter-ministerial consultations prior to Cabinet approval," a ministry source said.
The draft bill which redefines the term "animal", says it means any live vertebrate, including fish, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal but does not denote human beings.
The revised version of the bill aiming to "promote animal welfare, protection, care and to prevent infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals" dedicates separate chapters to promote welfare of animals and fines and penalties for torturing them.
For any violation of the Act, the person shall be punishable with fine which may extend to `1 crore or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, it says.
"In case the violation is committed by an institution /organisation/company such institution/organisation/company shall be punishable with fine which may extend upto `25 crores," the draft says. The draft of the legislation, which recommends setting up of Animal Welfare Boards both at Central and state levels for the prevention of cruelty to animals, also proposes to make its chairman a "paid government servant".
To check the experiments on animals, the draft legislation proposes to constitute a Board for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (BPCSEA) with a full time chairman and a defined constitution.
For the purpose of ensuring that the rules are being complied with, the Act empowers any officer or employee of the BPCSEA or a person authorised by it to enter at "any reasonable time by him and inspect any institution or place in which experiments on animals are being carried on." — PTI / 3 July 2011
Download the full PDF copy at: http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/draft-animal-welfare-act-2011.pdf
India
No comments:
Post a Comment