The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory advisory body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF), will now chaired by senior government official.
Till now, this Chennai-based organisation has always been chaired by somebody outside government, such as veterinarians, animal welfare activists.
The 22-member Board’s three-year term ended February 28 and on March 1, a new Board of 18 members, chaired by Sharad Singh Negi, Special Secretary and Director-General (Forests), MoEF, came into effect.
The March 3 notification specifies that for the next three years, the Board would be chaired by the Director-General (Forests) for its term.
AWBI derives its legal structure from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.