Rupala: Monsoon session: Union Minister Rupala aims to table Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill 2022 | India News

PUNE: Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, has expressed his commitment to tabling the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, 2022, in the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament, bringing a ray of hope for animal lovers across India.

Speaking in an interview with TOI on Saturday, Rupala assured that he is actively pursuing the tabling of the bill in this Monsoon Session. Rupala said, “I am trying to have this bill tabled in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament. It is a serious bill, and consultations are still underway. I am serious about tabling this bill and trying to push it for this Monsoon Session itself.”
The #NOMORE50 campaign, backed by a groundswell of support from animal lovers and welfare organizations, has been relentlessly advocating for stricter animal welfare laws in India. Their efforts gained momentum when it was discovered that the proposed animal welfare bill was initially absent from the list of 31 bills scheduled for discussion during the current Monsoon Session 2023.

The proposed Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, 2022, seeks to address the long-standing concerns of animal welfare activists who have criticized the existing penalties under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as outdated and insufficient in deterring animal cruelty. The draft bill, prepared by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, proposes more stringent penalties, including fines exceeding Rs 75,000 and a prison sentence of up to five years for offenders.
Despite the initial absence of the bill from the published list of agenda items, a senior official from the Lok Sabha Secretariat clarified that Union Ministers have the authority to table bills during sessions, even if the bills were not initially part of the list. “The list is considered tentative and primarily serves as an informational guide for Members of Parliament, allowing for bills to be added if the concerned Union Ministers deem it necessary,” the official said.