Cruelty against animals: Govt plans for higher penalty

The government plans to introduce a higher penalty and jail term for people perpetrating cruelty against animals and a draft bill to amend the existing law is likely to come up in the next Parliament session. At present, perpetrators of such acts often get away unscathed as the penalty for the first time offender is just ~50 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. “We are ready with the draft amendment bill. We are in the process of getting the Cabinet approval,” Union Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Poultry Minister Parshottam Rupala said on Monday.