Gauri Maulekhi

Gauri Maulekhi is an animal rights activist in India.[1][2] She is a co-opted member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and a trustee in Maneka Gandhi's People for Animals. She has been part of and has led successful campaigns for animal rights such as the campaign against the practice of sacrificial slaughtering of cattle.[3][4][5][6] She is also a consultant with Humane Society International, one of the world largest animal protection groups.[7][8][9] She is a protege of Maneka Gandhi (an Indian politician and India's leading animal rights crusader).[1]

Gauri Maulekhi
Gauri Maulekhi receiving the 2017 Nari Shakti Puraskar
NationalityIndian
Known foranimal rights activist

Background

Gauri Maulekhi started working for People for Animals in Lucknow in 1995 as a volunteer where she played a vital role in setting up the first animal shelter in the city. She also helped raise funds for the shelter, conduct programmes for the finding homes for dogs and coordinate the ambulance service for animals in distress. She then worked with the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Noida from 2004 to 2008. She helped run the animal shelter and was part of raids related to cruelty to animals. This is where she also stepped into the legal area of animal rights and welfare. In 2008 she joined PFA Dehradun. In 2010 she set up the Uttarakhand unit of People for Animals, People for Animals Uttarakhand. She currently is part of the team in New Delhi of People for Animals India.[10][11]

Maulekhi is active internationally. She lobbied in Nepal to end the huge mass religious animal slaughter at Gadhimai festival. Back in India in 2013 there was a climate disaster when the North India floods were created by unusual torrential rain. Maulekhi helped evacuate more than 6,000 animals from the flooded Kedarnath region. Saving these animals influenced future national policy for dealing with disasters. The plans now incorporate a consideration of animal welfare. Maulekhi also helped the campaign to end the (illegal) wildlife trade at the Sonepur Animal Fair. These acts earned Maulekhi the Nari Shakti Award.[12]

In 2019 Maulekhi began a campaign to get the government to realise its past commitments to improve animal welfare. She wrote to each of India's states regarding a ten year old directive to form State Animal Welfare Boards. These boards were requested by the Supreme Court and although some were created, others were not. Those that were formed were there in name only as they lacked staff or a budget. In 2020 Maulekhi asked India's Supreme Court to issue a writ to require states to create State Animal Welfare Boards.[13]

Awards and honours

See also

References
  1. N, Aswin V. (2015-10-09). "A voice for the voiceless". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  2. "Gauri Maulekhi, the woman behind new cattle sale law". theweek.in. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  3. "You can buy cattle for slaughter from farms: Meet Gauri Maulekhi, the woman behind the new Cattle sale law". The Financial Express. 2017-05-31. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  4. Reporter, Staff (2018-02-10). "HC seeks govt response on murga mandi plea". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  5. Kapur, Manavi (2017-07-21). "Gauri Maulekhi, the force behind the cattle legislation". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  6. "Gauri Maulekhi, Author at Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  7. "Gauri Maulekhi". Down To Earth. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  8. ANIMAL LAW TRAINING PROGRAMhttp://www.hsi.org/assets/pdfs/hsi_india_law_announcement.pdf
  9. "Watch: Gauri Maulekhi on the Controversial Cattle Trade Ban". The Quint. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  10. "Welfare of animals her priority". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  11. "People for Animals unit to move court over threat". Deccan Chronicle. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
  12. "Ministry of Women and Child Development Nari Shakti Awardees 2017" (PDF). Ministry of Women and Child Development. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  13. "Who's looking after the animals of India?". Mongabay-India. 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  14. "Infographic: Nari Shakti Puraskar - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2018-03-11.

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