Lok Sabha Question No. 4167 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-19
Subject: Menace of Stray Dogs
Ministry: FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
Asked by: Shri Gurjeet Singh Aujla

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4167

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 TH  AUGUST, 2025

## MENACE OF STRAY DOGS

4167. SHRI GURJEET SINGH AUJLA:

Will the Minister of FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING मत्स्यपालन , पशुपालन और डेयरी मंत्री

be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps proposed to be taken by the Government to control the growing menace of stray dogs with penalty and the time by which they will be implemented; and
- (b) whether the Government has any national policy in this regard and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING (PROF. S.P. SINGH BAGHEL)

(a) and (b) The issue of stray dogs falls under the purview of State Governments, with Local Bodies mandated to manage related matters. To ensure humane and effective dog population management, the Central Government has  framed the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. These Rules align with the World Organisation  for  Animal  Health  (WOAH)  standards  for  the  Capture -Neuter -Vaccinate -Release (CNVR) approach. Under the Rules, Local Bodies are responsible for implementing sterilization and vaccination programmes in collaboration with animal welfare organizations.

The sterilization programme is an ongoing process being implemented by Urban Local Bodies. An  advisory  was  issued  by  the  Secretary  (Animal  Husbandry  and  Dairying)  to  all  Chief Secretaries on 11.11.2024. Subsequently, on 16.07.2025, the Secretaries of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and Ministry of Panchayati Raj jointly issued an advisory reiterating that sterilisation of stray dogs is central to dog population management. The advisory urged Urban Local Bodies to establish Animal Birth Control units and undertake large-scale sterilisation programmes, covering at least 70% of stray dogs.

Further,  the  Central  Government  has  revised  the  existing  Scheme  for  Birth  Control  and Immunization of stray dogs and stray cats, which is being implemented through the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) from the current financial year. The details are available in the website of AWBI at https://awbi.gov.in/Document/guidelines. Under the revised scheme:

- Financial assistance of up to ₹800 per dog and ₹600 per cat is provisioned for SPCAs and Local Bodies to conduct ABC programmes as per the ABC Rules, 2023.
- Infrastructure  support:  A  onetime  grant  of  ₹2  crore  is  provisioned  for  State -run veterinary hospitals to develop facilities such as surgical theatres, kennels, and recovery units.
- The AWBI is providing assistance for establishment of small animal shelter up to ₹15 lakh and ₹27 lakh for large animal to Urban Local Bodies, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animal and recognized Animal Welfare Organizations.

Further, for proper implementation of the Rules, the AWBI has issued several advisories and circulars which is placed at Annexure-I

In  addition,  under  the  Livestock  Health  and  Disease  Control  Programme  (LHDCP ) ,  the subcomponent Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases (ASCAD) provides States with support for the procurement of anti-rabies vaccines.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), under the National Rabies Control Programme  (NRCP),  is  implementing  the  National  Action  Plan  for  Dog-Mediated  Rabies Elimination (NAPRE), launched on 28.09.2021, with multiple initiatives aimed at achieving rabies elimination

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## Annexure-I LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4167 SHRI GURJEET SINGH AUJLA TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.08.2025

## List of Advisories issued in regard to implementation of Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023

|   S. No. | Date       | Topic                                                                                 | Issued from           | Addressed to:                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|----------|------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | 05.04.2022 | Minimum revised Rates for conducting ABC                                              | Secretary, AWBI       | • The Chief Secretary of all States/UTs • The State Animal Welfare Board of all States/UTs • The District Magistrate of all States/UTs • The Municipal Commissioner of all States/UTs                                                    |
|        2 | 17.05.2022 | Standard Protocol for Adoption of community animals                                   | Chairman, AWBI        | • The Chief Secretary of all States/UTs • The Director General of Police of all States/UTs • The State Animal Welfare Board of all States/UTs • The District Magistrate of all States/UTs • The Municipal Commissioner of all States/UTs |
|        3 | 27.03.2023 | Circulation of ABC Rules                                                              | Secretary, DAHD       | • The Chief Secretary of all States/UTs                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|        4 | 31.03.2023 | D.O. letter regarding Central Govt. has notified the ABC Rules, 2023                  | Joint Secretary, DAHD | • The Principal Secretary, DAH of all State Govt. / UTs • The Principal Secretary, Department of Urban Development of all State Governments/ UTs • The Municipal Commissioner of all Districts of all State Governments/UTs              |
|        5 | 30.05.2023 | Implementation of ABC Rules 2023                                                      | Secretary, AWBI       | The District Magistrate/District Collector of all Districts of all State Governments/UTs                                                                                                                                                 |
|        6 | 01.10.2024 | Advise to all recognised AWOs for Active Participation in the tenders floated for ABC | Secretary, AWBI       | All the recognised Animal Welfare Organization(s)                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|        7 | 11.11.2024 | DAHD Advisory for Dog Population Management and reducing Dog-bites                    | Secretary, DAHD       | The Chief Secretary of all the State Governments/UTs.                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        8 | 17.07.2025 | Guidelines for RWAs, AOAs, Local bodies for effective implementation of ABC Rules     | Chairman, AWBI        | • The Chief Secretary of all the State Governments/UTs. • All the Resident Welfare Associations and Apartment owner Association                                                                                                          |

|   9 | 17.07.2025   | Constitution of committees as per Rule 9(3) of ABC Rules 2023                                                                                            | Chairman, AWBI   | The Chief Secretary of all the State Governments/ UTs.   |
|-----|--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
|  10 | 04.08.2025   | Advisory of separate Dog bite Data                                                                                                                       | Chairman, AWBI   | The Director General of Health Services                  |
|  11 | 04.08.2025   | Advisory for Mandatory Project Recognition                                                                                                               | Chairman, AWBI   | The Chief Secretary of all the State Governments/ UTs.   |
|  12 | 11.08.2025   | Revised Animal Birth Control (ABC) module for Street Dogs Population management, rabies eradication and reducing man-dog conflict launched on 11.08.2025 | Chairman, AWBI   | The Chief Secretary of all the State Governments/ UTs.   |