The 9th meeting of the Empowered Committee for Animal Health (ECAH) was held on July 24, 2025, in New Delhi, under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD). Chaired by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and vice-chaired by Mrs. Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary, DAHD, the meeting focused on strengthening animal health systems in India, reviewing progress on vaccination programs, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) awareness, and veterinary reforms.
Key achievements highlighted include the administration of 124.10 crore doses of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine, 28.89 crore doses of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) vaccine, 4.77 crore doses of Brucellosis vaccine, and 0.88 crore doses of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) vaccine, with vaccination records being digitally captured through the Bharat Pashudhan application. The DAHD is working to establish FMD-free zones across nine states and has initiated real-time monitoring of vaccine cold chains through the Animal Vaccine Intelligence Network (AVIN). All vaccines used are indigenously developed and manufactured.
India's first Equine Disease-Free Compartment (EDFC), located at the Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre College, Meerut Cantonment, was endorsed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on July 3, 2025. Additionally, 44 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) compartments have been approved in the poultry sector. The ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, has been recognized as a Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility (RHF) by WOAH and FAO. The ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar, and the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow, have received WOAH recognition for Equine Piroplasmosis and Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome, respectively.
Under the Pandemic Fund Project, the Indian Network of Genomic Surveillance (INGeS) with 11 laboratories and the Indian Network on Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) and Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) with 19 laboratories have been established. Efforts are underway to secure NABL accreditation for six CDDLs/RDDLs and 17 State Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratories. A digital self-assessment platform for laboratories, "Rate My Lab," is being developed.
The ECAH, established in 2021, serves as the apex think tank of DAHD, providing strategic guidance on animal disease control, emerging threats, One Health initiatives, and regulatory issues. Aditi Agrawal is listed as the contact for this release. Release ID: 2147898.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying: The Indian government ministry responsible for policies related to fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairy development.
Empowered Committee for Animal Health ECAH: Apex think tank of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) providing strategic guidance on animal disease control and related issues.
Foot and Mouth Disease FMD: A highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals, subject to national control programmes.
Antimicrobial Resistance AMR: The ability of microbes to resist the effects of drugs, a critical issue in animal health.
Peste des Petits Ruminants PPR: A viral disease affecting small ruminants like sheep and goats, subject to national control programmes.
Classical Swine Fever CSF: A highly contagious viral disease affecting pigs, subject to national control programmes.
World Organisation for Animal Health WOAH: An intergovernmental organization responsible for improving animal health worldwide.
ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases NIHSAD, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: A research institute recognized as a Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility (RHF) by WOAH and FAO.
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
9th Meeting of Empowered Committee for Animal
Health (ECAH) Charts Roadmap for Strengthening
Animal Health Systems in India
ECAH : Reviews Progress on Vaccination, AMR
Awareness and Veterinary Reforms
Posted On: 24 JUL 2025 6:11PM by PIB Delhi
The 9th meeting of the Empowered Committee for Animal Health (ECAH) was held today in New Delhi
under the aegis of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD). The meeting was
chaired by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and vice-chaired
by Mrs. Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary, DAHD. Key stakeholders from office of the PSA, ICMR, CDSCO,
DBT, Ministry of Ayush and other leading institutions participated in the deliberations to review and chart the
path forward for animal health landscape in India.
Chairing the meeting, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood commended the Department’s proactive efforts and stressed the
importance of enhancing awareness among livestock farmers—particularly through media campaigns—on
critical issues such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The
Department also provided updates on key regulatory reforms and ongoing programmatic initiatives aimed at
strengthening animal health governance nationwide. These measures included simplifying regulations related
to veterinary drugs, vaccines, biologicals, and feed additives, as well as improving access to high-quality
animal health products.
Strengthening Animal Health : Key Milestones Achieved So Far
Significant progress has been achieved under the National Disease Control Programmes for Foot-and-Mouth
Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), and Classical Swine Fever (CSF). To date,
124.10 crore doses of FMD vaccine, 28.89 crore doses of PPR vaccine, 4.77 crore doses of Brucellosis
vaccine, and 0.88 crore doses of CSF vaccine have been administered. Animal vaccination records are
being digitally captured through the Bharat Pashudhan application. In support of FMD eradication, the
Department is actively working to establish FMD-Free Zones across nine States, and has initiated pilot effortsfor real-time monitoring of vaccine cold chains through the Animal Vaccine Intelligence Network (AVIN).
All vaccines used under the national control programmes are indigenously developed and
manufactured, making India self-reliant in animal vaccine production. India also exports vaccines to
other countries, reaffirming its commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat and global cooperation in animal health.
In a major breakthrough, India’s first Equine Disease-Free Compartment (EDFC) has been endorsed by the
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on 3rd July 2025. Located at the Remount Veterinary Corps
(RVC) Centre & College, Meerut Cantonment, this international certification paves the way for the global
movement of Indian sport horses, in full compliance with prescribed biosecurity and health standards. In the
poultry sector, 44 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) compartments have been approved by the
Department, reinforcing India’s ability to maintain export-ready biosecure production systems.
Further, facilitated by DAHD, ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal
has recently been recognized as a Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility (RHF) by WOAH and FAO. With
this recognition, India joins an elite group of only six such institutions globally, reaffirming India’s leadership
and preparedness in post-eradication surveillance and containment of high-impact transboundary animal
diseases. India’s reference laboratory capacity was further bolstered with WOAH recognition of: ICAR-
National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar for Equine Piroplasmosis, and ICAR-National Bureau of Fish
Genetic Resources, Lucknow for Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome caused by Aphanomyces invadans.
Under the Pandemic Fund Project, two major laboratory networks have been established:
a. the Indian Network of Genomic Surveillance (INGeS) with 11 laboratories, and
b. the Indian Network on Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) and Emerging Infectious
Diseases (EIDs) with 19 laboratories. Efforts are underway to secure NABL accreditation for six
CDDLs/RDDLs and 17 State Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratories. A digital platform for self-
assessment of laboratories titled “Rate My Lab” is also being developed to promote transparency
and benchmarking in diagnostic services.
About ECAH
Established in 2021, the Empowered Committee for Animal Health (ECAH) serves as the apex think tank of
DAHD. It provides strategic guidance and policy inputs on animal disease control, emerging threats, One
Health initiatives, and regulatory issues concerning veterinary pharmaceuticals and biologicals.
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Aditi Agrawal
(Release ID: 2147898)