Fine for Cruelty to Animals

Our government is considering a fine upto Rs.one crore or jail term upto five years for persons indulging in cruelty to animals, including domestic dogs.   The Ministry of Environment and Forests has proposed the hefty fines in its Animal Welfare Bill, 2011 (TOI, 3 July).

In a country where almost half of the population cannot make both ends meet, where a large section of people is deprived of shelter over their head, potable water and electricity, where healthcare facilities for majority of human beings are negligible, where cruelty against women and wife beating prevails, mostly unreported and unpunished, a fine of Rs.one crore for cruelty against a dog is a joke.

I do not how many people in India can afford a fine of Rs. One crore.  But I know that those who formulate such policies sitting in air conditioned rooms, unaware of the ground realities in the country, also do not know.