Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying secured a grant under the G20 Pandemic Fund Project titled "Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response," launched on October 25th, 2024. The project aims to strengthen India's preparedness for pandemic response, reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases, and protect public health. The project received a grant of USD 25 million, with USD 0.837 million utilized as of June 30th, 2025.
Key Points / Main Content:
Project Objectives:
* Reduce the risk of pathogens emerging from domesticated and wild animals and spilling over into human populations.
* Protect public health, nutritional security, and the livelihoods of vulnerable communities.
* Augment laboratory systems.
* Enhance surveillance and early warning systems.
* Strengthen capacity, competency, and human resource development.
* Advance data systems, analytics, risk analysis, and risk communication.
* Address institutional capacity gaps at national and regional levels.
Key Activities:
* Gap assessments of laboratories to support accreditation.
* Establishment of national laboratory networks for transboundary and zoonotic disease surveillance, including genomic surveillance and early warning systems.
* Development of digital tools for laboratory self-assessment, biosecurity, and integrated information management.
* Capacity building for field epidemiologists and animal health professionals.
* Development of risk communication strategies and community awareness initiatives for early reporting and behaviour change.
* Training and engagement of community-level animal health workers for early detection, response, and outreach in rural and remote areas.
Financial Details:
* Total grant received: USD 25 million from the G20 Pandemic Fund.
* Allocation among Implementing Entities (IEs):
* Asian Development Bank (ADB): USD 12.00 million
* Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): USD 8.714 million
* World Bank: USD 4.285 million
* Funds utilized as of June 30th, 2025: USD 0.837 million out of the USD 5.442 million released to the IEs.
Impact Analysis:
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying:
Impact: Responsible for overseeing and implementing the "Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response" project.
Action Required: Continue to implement the project, ensuring funds are utilized effectively and that the project achieves its objectives of strengthening animal health systems and pandemic preparedness.
Implementing Entities (Asian Development Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Bank):
Impact: Responsible for executing specific components of the project based on their allocated funds.
Action Required: Utilize allocated funds to implement project activities, monitor progress, and report on outcomes.
Laboratories:
Impact: Laboratories will be assessed for gaps and potentially upgraded to support accreditation and enhance disease surveillance capabilities.
Action Required: Participate in gap assessments and implement necessary upgrades to meet accreditation standards and improve surveillance efforts.
Animal Health Professionals and Field Epidemiologists:
Impact: Will receive capacity building and training to improve their ability to detect, respond to, and manage zoonotic disease outbreaks.
Action Required: Participate in training programs and apply newly acquired knowledge and skills to enhance disease surveillance and response efforts.
Community-Level Animal Health Workers:
Impact: Will be trained and engaged to improve early detection, response, and outreach in rural and remote areas.
Action Required: Participate in training programs and actively engage with communities to detect and report potential disease outbreaks.
General Public/Communities:
Impact: Intended beneficiaries through reduced risk of zoonotic diseases and improved public health.
Action Required: Engage with community awareness initiatives, report unusual animal health events, and adopt recommended behavior changes.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying: The Indian government ministry responsible for fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairy development.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the unstarred question was raised.
Pandemic Fund project: A project aimed at strengthening India's preparedness for pandemic response.
One Health: An approach recognizing that the health of humans is connected to the health of animals and the environment.
Asian Development Bank: An international development finance institution.
Food and Agriculture Organization: A specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
World Bank: An international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects.
Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response: The title of the G20 Pandemic Fund Project launched on 25th October 2024. It aims to reduce the risk of pathogens emerging from animals and spilling over into human populations.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2634
TO BE ANSWERED ON 5TH AUGUST 2025
PANDEMIC FUND PROJECT
2634. SHRI DUSHYANT SINGH
Will the Minister of FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
मत्स्यपालन, पशुपालन और डेयरी मंत्री
be pleased to state:
(a) the steps taken by the Government to strengthen the country's preparedness for pandemic
response under the Pandemic Fund project, including the key initiatives and strategies for
enhancing disease surveillance, laboratory infrastructure and cross-border collaboration;
(b) the manner in which this initiative will help in reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases that
can spread from animals to humans, particularly through the implementation of the One Health
approach, genomic and environmental surveillance and the development of FMD-free zones;
(c) the amount allocated for the Pandemic Fund project, including details of financial
contributions from the Government and international partners such as the Asian Development
Bank (ADB), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank; and
(d) the details on utilization of this funds utilized for strengthening animal health systems and
pandemic preparedness in the country?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND
DAIRYING
(PROF S P SINGH BAGHEL)
(a) and (b) The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying secured a grant under the G20
Pandemic Fund Project titled “Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic
Preparedness and Response”, launched on 25th October 2024.
The initiative aims to reduce the risk of pathogens emerging from both domesticated and wild
animals and spilling over into human populations, thereby protecting public health, nutritional
security, and the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. Key objectives of the project include:
• Augmenting laboratory systems
• Enhancing surveillance and early warning systems
• Strengthening capacity, competency, and human resource development
• Advancing data systems, analytics, risk analysis, and risk communication
• Addressing institutional capacity gaps at national and regional levels
Key activities undertaken under the project to reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases include:
• Gap assessments of laboratories to support accreditation
• Establishment of national laboratory networks for transboundary and zoonotic disease
surveillance, including genomic surveillance and early warning systems
• Development of digital tools for laboratory self-assessment, biosecurity, and
integrated information management
• Capacity building for field epidemiologists and animal health professionals
• Development of risk communication strategies and community awareness initiatives
for early reporting and behaviour change
• Training and engagement of community-level animal health workers for early
detection, response, and outreach in rural and remote areas(c) and (d) The project received a grant of USD 25 million from the G20 Pandemic Fund, which
has been allocated among the three Implementing Entities (IEs) as follows: USD 12.00 million
to the Asian Development Bank, USD 8.714 million to the Food and Agriculture Organization,
and USD 4.285 million to the World Bank. As of 30th June 2025, USD 0.837 million has been
utilised from the USD 5.442 million released to the IEs.
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