COVID-19: Odisha govt asks civic bodies to feed stray animals during lockdown

The Odisha Government has asked Civic bodies to make necessary provisions for providing food to the stray animals in urban and semi urban areas of the state during the COVID-19 lockdown.Thousands of stray animals in the state will have a hard time finding food leading to starvation and other consequential issues amid the lockdown in the state from May 5 to May 19. Therefore, the Housing and Urban Development Department has directed all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the state to make necessary provision of food for the stray animals.

"The ULBs are advised to meet the expenditures out of the funds available with them from various sources including own source revenue or subject to recoupment from the special relief commissioner (SRC) or chief minister's relief fund (CMRF) sources," read a letter issued by Department Secretary Mathi Vathanan to Municipal Corporations and Executive Officers of all Municipalities/NACs.

Odisha reported 12,238 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative case tally to 5,12,400, the state government informed on Friday.Also, the state saw as many as 6,854 fresh recoveries in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries count to 4,23,257.

( With inputs from ANI )