Parliament Question: Stray Dog Menace

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2663 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05TH AUGUST, 2025 STRAY DOG MENACE 2663. Adv. Adoor Prakash: Will the Minister of FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING मत्स्यपालन, पशुपालन और डेयरी मंत्री be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that stray dog menace has become a severe issue and rabies deaths are increasing in many States, State-wise including Kerala; (b) if so, the measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard, Statewise; (c) whether the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying had issued an advisory in November, 2024 to all States/UTs for effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control Programme (ABC) programme, if so, the details thereof, State-wise; (d) whether the Government has taken any review of implementation of the above direction and has given any assistance to the States/UTs for ABC and if so, the details thereof, State- wise; (e) whether the Government has received requests from States including Kerala seeking exemption in ABC Rules and if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and (f) whether the Government will consider exemption in ABC Rules in view of rising stray dog menace and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING (SHRI S. P. SINGH BAGHEL) (a) State-wise data, related to presumptive cases of human rabies, including that of Kerala, as reported in the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is annexed. (b) As per Article 243(W) of the Constitution of India, municipalities are mandated to control the stray dog population. Municipalities are implementing the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme to stabilize the population of stray dogs. To strengthen this initiative, the Central Government notified the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, vide G.S.R. 193(E) dated 10th March 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, superseding the earlier ABC (Dog) Rules, 2001. These Rules emphasize neutering and anti-rabies vaccination as primary tools for dog population management. The Central Government and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) have issued several advisories to ensure effective implementation of the ABC Programme. Recently, on 21st July 2025, the Secretaries of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) issued a joint advisory to all Chief Secretaries, urging the implementation of the ABC Programme and the development of requisite infrastructure.Further, the Central Government has revised the existing Scheme for Birth Control and Immunization of stray dogs, which is implemented through AWBI from the current financial year. Under the revised scheme: • Financial assistance of up to ₹800 per dog and ₹600 per cat is provisioned for SPCAs and Local Bodies for conducting ABC as per the 2023 Rules. • A one-time grant of ₹2 crore is provisioned forState-run veterinary hospitals for developing infrastructure, including surgical theatres, kennels, and recovery units. In addition, under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP), the DAHD provides support to States for the procurement of anti-rabies vaccines. National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare implements the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) for prevention and control of Rabies. The strategies of National Rabies Control Programme are to conduct training on appropriate animal bite management, prevention and control of Rabies, surveillance and inter sectoral coordination, strengthening surveillance of Animal Bites, provision of procurement of Anti-Rabies Vaccine for animal bite victims through the National Free Drug Initiative and Information, Education & Communication (IEC) activities to create awareness. (c) Yes, Sir. The Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has issued an advisory to all States, outlining the measures to be undertaken for effective dog population management, including the implementation of the ABC Rules, 2023, to prevent dog bites. (d) The ABC Programme is being monitored at the State level, with provisions for constitution of a State Monitoring Committee. At the national level, the Central Government has constituted a Central Monitoring Committee to oversee implementation. Additionally, the Central Government has sought periodic reports from States on ABC-related activities. The Central Government has revised the existing Scheme for Birth Control and Immunization of stray dogs, implemented through the AWBI from the current financial year, provisioning financial assistance of up to ₹800 per dog and ₹600 per cat to SPCAs and Local Bodies for conducting ABC as per the 2023 Rules. (e) & (f) The Animal Husbandry Department, Government of Kerala, sought approval to enable government veterinarians to undertake Animal Birth Control (ABC) procedures at veterinary dispensaries. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has since accorded permission for conducting ABC operations at designated veterinary polyclinics in the state. ****LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2663 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05TH AUGUST, 2025 BY Adv. Adoor Prakash Annexure 2022 2023 2024 Presumptive Presumptive Presumptive State Cases Cases Cases (Human Rabies) (Human Rabies) (Human Rabies) Cases Deaths Cases Deaths Cases Deaths Andaman & Nicobar Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 Andhra Pradesh 220 6 32 36 41 39 Arunachal Pradesh 2 0 0 0 1 0 Assam 79 0 75 3 117 6 Bihar 226 0 64 3 59 2 Chandigarh 1 0 1 0 0 0 Chhattisgarh 68 0 17 1 4 1 Delhi 37 0 37 0 77 0 Goa 3 0 4 0 0 0 Gujarat 120 0 12 4 11 7 Haryana 106 0 40 0 11 0 Himachal Pradesh 13 0 4 1 8 2 Jammu And Kashmir 2 0 4 4 1 5 Jharkhand 27 0 27 2 33 1 Karnataka 321 1 267 18 139 42 Kerala 0 0 314 1 65 8 Ladakh 1 0 0 0 0 0 Lakshadweep 0 0 0 0 0 0 Madhya Pradesh 315 0 633 0 121 0 Maharashtra 421 10 119 23 119 10 Manipur 2 0 1 0 15 1 Meghalaya 0 0 12 7 23 13 Mizoram 0 0 0 0 1 0 Nagaland 0 0 0 0 0 0 Odisha 87 0 12 0 6 0 Puducherry 2 0 0 0 8 0 Punjab 32 0 19 0 56 0 Rajasthan 777 0 254 0 98 0 Sikkim 2 0 3 0 0 0 Tamil Nadu 412 5 148 18 24 43 Telangana 216 0 66 0 0 0 The Dadra And Nagar Haveli 0 0 0 0 1 0 And Daman And Diu Tripura 1 0 2 0 3 0 Uttarakhand 8 0 6 0 3 0 Uttar Pradesh 1380 0 48 0 34 0 West Bengal 4 0 2 0 0 0 Total 4885 22 2223 121 1079 180