Lok Sabha Question No. 2663 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-05
Subject: Stray Dog Menace
Ministry: FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
Asked by: Adv. Adoor Prakash

## 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 05 TH  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, Statewise;
- (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 21 st 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  onetime  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 Loc al 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.

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## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2663

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 05 TH  AUGUST, 2025

BY Adv. Adoor Prakash

## Annexure

| State                                        | 2022 Presumptive Cases (Human Rabies)   | 2022 Presumptive Cases (Human Rabies)   | 2023 Presumptive Cases (Human Rabies)   | 2023 Presumptive Cases (Human Rabies)   | 2024 Presumptive Cases (Human Rabies)   | 2024 Presumptive Cases (Human Rabies)   |
|----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| State                                        | 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 And Daman And Diu | 0                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       | 1                                       | 0                                       |
| 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                                     |