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‘Karuna Abhiyan’: Gujarat deploys 8,500 personnel to rescue thousands of injured birds ahead of Makara Sankranti

'Karuna Abhiyan', which began on January 10 and will continue until January 20, has set up 85 control rooms and over 480 treatment centres.

2 min readAhmedabadJan 13, 2026 01:53 PM IST

'Karuna Abhiyan': Gujarat deploys 8,500 personnel to rescue thousands of injured birds ahead of Makara Sankranti

Minister of State for Forest and Environment Pravin Mali has urged the public not to fly kites at sunrise and sunset, as these are peak times for bird activity in the sky. (file)

As Gujarat prepares to celebrate the annual festival of Makara Sankranti on January 14–15, the state government has launched Karuna Abhiyan, a campaign aimed at rescuing birds injured by kite strings and addressing cases of cattle suffering from food poisoning caused by fodder offered by devotees during the festival.

Under the campaign, the Gujarat Government has set up 85 control rooms and over 480 treatment centres across the state to save the affected birds and cattle. More than 740 veterinary doctors and approximately 8,500 officials and volunteers are involved in providing services at the 450 collection centres throughout the state.

The campaign, which began on January 10 and will continue until January 20, was launched jointly by the departments of Forest and Environment and Animal Husbandry, in coordination with various voluntary organisations.

During the festival, birds often get injured by kite strings, while many devotees feed cattle various food items, which can lead to food poisoning or other health issues in the animals. To address these problems, the state government has run the Karuna Abhiyan campaign during the festival every year.

Also Read | Makar Sakranti: 30 birds hurt by kite strings in Mumbai

Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia said that more than 1.12 lakh birds and animals have been rescued under the campaign in the last nine years.

Minister of State for Forest and Environment Pravin Mali has urged the public not to fly kites at sunrise and sunset, as these are peak times for bird activity in the sky. He also appealed for the avoidance of Chinese manja when flying kites.

People can call the helpline at 1962 for assistance with injured birds or unwell animals. Additionally, a wildlife helpline has been created at 8320002000. Individuals seeking information about the nearest bird treatment centers can send a “Hi” message via WhatsApp to this number.

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