Shashi Tharoor PETA's 'person of the year'

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 27: Union Minister of State for HRD

has been chosen as the "Person of the Year" by animal rights campaigner

(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for initiating steps for animal protection.

Tharoor used the power and prestige of his office to advocate for the protection of animals, a PETA release said here today. He had encouraged the National Council of Educational Research and Training to examine PETA's Central Board of Secondary Education approved-'Compassionate Citizen humane' -education programme for incorporation into its textbooks.

Tharoor, representing Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha, is also supporting the use of non-animal methods for teaching students and training teachers, it said.

He urged the National Council for Teacher Education to ban the use of animals

"We are thankful to Tharoor for his work and for recognising that animals deserve kindness and consideration", says PETA India CEO Poorva Joshipura. Tharoor's other efforts to help animals include writing a letter to Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad urging him to implement non-animal methods of teaching in medical courses.

"In addition, he urged the National Council for Teacher Education to ban the use of animals, such as for dissection, in training teachers," it said. Actors Hema Malini and R Madhavan were previous recipients of PETA India's Person of the Year Award, the release added.

PTI