Odisha govt allocates Rs 60 lakh to feed stray animals during lockdown

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], May 9 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday sanctioned Rs 60 lakh from Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) to feed stray animals during the COVID-19 lockdown in five municipal corporations, 48 municipalities and 61 Notified Area Councils (NACs).
On Friday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development had asked civic bodies to make provisions for providing food to stray animals in urban and semi-urban areas.
The state government has fixed the unit cost per day for all municipal corporations, municipalities, and all NAC areas to meet the expenditure in this regard.
The state government has taken a slew of measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has put in place an extensive vaccination programme.
Earlier in the day, the Odisha government decided to give priority to vaccination of 18 to 44 age group people in five municipal corporations where the positivity rate of COVID-19 infection is relatively high.
"The state has started the process of procurement of COVID-19 vaccine for vaccination of I8 to 44 years age group from state's own funds. At present, as the manufacturers are able to supply a small quantity of vaccines, we are starting vaccination of 18 to 44 years age group only in five municipal corporations," wrote additional chief secretary PK Mohapatra in a letter to all district collectors on Saturday.
Odisha registered 10,635 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the state health department said.