VIJAYAWADA: Fisheries Minister Sidiri Appalaraju on Wednesday presented awards to 62 animal husbandry staff and others who helped save cattle during the recent floods in the Godavari districts as also in Nellore and Chittoor districts last year.
The awards were given away at a programme held in the APIIC building here. Special chief secretary Poonam Malakondaiah, fisheries commissioner Kanna Babu and animal husbandry director Amarandra Kumar were present.
Appalaraju said that the selected employees have been given both awards and cash of `10,000 as reward. He recalled the words of Mahatma Gandhi that the progress of a nation can be gauged by the way it treats its cattle.
The minister presented state-level awards to 12 fishermen, 2 animal lovers, 2 joint directors, 10 district animal husbandry officers, 7 deputy directors, 1 office supervisor, 5 assistant directors, 11 assistant veterinary surgeons, 6 para-veterinary staff, 6 animal husbandry assistants, along with cash reward, for their services in rescuing and rehabilitating cattle during the times of natural disasters.
Speakers noted that this was the first time the state animal husbandry department was giving awards on such a large scale.
