Awareness campaign on animal welfare for students

Kolkata: The students going to the residential schools under Sarba Siksha Mission will be made aware of animal welfare.

There are 25 residential schools under the mission. The decision was taken following a meeting between Kartick Manna, president of Sarba Siksha Mission and representatives of Love and care for Animals, an NGO working in the field of animal welfare. The duration of the awareness course will be for two years.

The students will be made aware about the animal welfare laws and there will be interactive sessions and

slide shows.

Quiz competitions will be held on the matter that will be shown.

Awareness classes have already been held in some state-run schools in South and North 24-Parganas and Kolkata.

People working on animal welfare said because of sustained programmes, attacks on stray dogs in Kolkata have gone down.

Earlier, many people used to sprinkle boiled water on them and used to tie crackers to their tails and set them on fire. Frightened stray dogs used to run away and many of them got killed.

Susmita Roy a spokesman for Love and Care for Animals said the students show great interest in the awareness classes. "If they are trained in school days they will develop love for the pets and stray animals," she said adding "this is very important at a time when deserting pets, particularly when they grow old, has reached an alarming level in the country and also

in Kolkata."