Lok Sabha Question No. 4870 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-01
Subject: Stray Dogs
Ministry: FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
Asked by: Shri Hibi Eden, Dr. M P Abdussamad Samadani

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

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4870

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01 st  April 2025

## STRAY DOGS

## 4870 SHRI HIBI EDEN DR. M P ABDUSSAMAD SAMADANI:

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 the menace of stray dogs has acquired alarming proportions across  the  country,  leading  to  increased  attacks  on  humans,  particularly  children  and  elderly citizens, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the number of reported cases of stray dogs attacks in the last five years, State-wise;
- (c) the  details  of  steps  are  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  this  issue  while  ensuring  a humanitarian approach to animals;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  the  Animal  Birth  Control  (ABC) program in controlling stray dogs population; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof, along with its impact in different States?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING

(SHRI S. P. SINGH BAGHEL)

- (a) and  (b).  As  per  Article  246(3)  of  the  Constitution  of  India,  the  preservation,  protection,  and improvement of livestock, as well as the prevention of animal diseases, veterinary training, and practice, fall under the jurisdiction of State Governments. As per Articles 243(W) and 246, local bodies are mandated to control the stray dog population. Accordingly, local bodies are implementing the Animal Birth Control Programme to regulate the population of stray dogs. The  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  (MoHFW)  is  responsible  for  the  human  health component related to dog bites and human rabies. Under the National Rabies Control Program, data on animal bites, including high-risk groups such as children, is being collected, and necessary provisions for post-exposure prophylaxis are being made for all animal bite victims across the country  through  healthcare  facilities.  As  per  the  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare, Government of India, state-wise data on dog bite cases and suspected human rabies deaths reported by states and Union Territories from 2022 to 2025 (till January), as per the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme-Integrated Health Information Platform portal, are provided in AnnexureI and Annexure-II, respectively.
- (c). The Central Government has notified the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 in supersession of the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 to strengthen the implementation of the animal birth control programme. Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 provides for sterilization and vaccination of stray dogs to control the stray dog population, to prevent rabies and to reduce man-dog conflict. The intensive implementation of the Animal Birth Control program by local bodies is the only rational and scientific solution to the overpopulation of the street dogs and controlling incidence of

Rabies. Dogs are sterilized and released back to their original habitats, and since dogs are territorial, they stay in their locality and do not allow dogs from other neighboring areas to come in. These dogs  are  also  vaccinated  annually  so  they  are  protected  from  rabies  and  even  if  they  bite accidentally, they may not transmit Rabies.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has published the revised Animal Birth Control (ABC) module for Street Dogs Population management, rabies eradication and reducing man-dog conflict.

Further, Animal Welfare Board of India provides the Animal Birth Control Project Recognition to the  recognized Animal  Welfare  Organizations  to  carry  out  the  Sterilization  and  immunization programme of stray dogs across the country. In addition, the Animal Welfare Board of India has issued following advisories / guidelines for proper welfare of the stray dogs as below:

- Pet Dogs and Street Dogs Circular dated 26.02.2015
- Standard protocol for the adoption of community animals dated 17.05.2022
- Request to Chief Secretary of all State/UTs to implement the provision of Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 dated 27.03.2023
- Request to Principal Secretary, Urban Development and Animal Husbandry as well as to the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of all Districts of all State/UTs to implement the provision of Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 dated 31.03.2023
- Request to al District Magistrate of all Districts of all State/UTs to implement the provision of Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 dated 30.05.2023

The  National  Centre  for  Disease  Control  (NCDC),  Ministry  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare  is implementing all necessary activities for rabies elimination in India by 2030 through the National Rabies Control Program (NRCP)  in coordination with key stakeholder ministries and departments. Each stakeholder ministry/department has a defined role and set of responsibilities for rabies elimination under the National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030 (NAPRE), as part of the National Rabies Control Program.

The  activities  undertaken  by  the  Ministry  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare  (MoHFW)  for  rabies elimination across the country are mentioned below at Annexure-III

(d) and (e).  The Government has not conducted a formal assessment of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Program's effectiveness in controlling the stray dog population; however, it remains the primary mechanism for managing the issue. The program's effectiveness is supported by several mandatory provisions, including Animal Birth Control Project Recognition for each project, the constitution of Monitoring and Implementation Committees at the Central, State, and Local levels, and other regulatory measures. However, its effectiveness varies across different regions due to implementation challenges.

Further, as per the information received, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has assessed the effectiveness of the Animal Birth Control Program in controlling the stray dog population. A study conducted  in  2019  and  2023  revealed  a  10%  reduction  in  the  street  dog  population  in  2023 compared to the previous survey. At the same time, the neutering percentage increased by 20%.

Dog Bite cases reported by states/UTs at IDSP (from 2022-25)

| State/UT                         | 2022 (Jan-Dec)   | 2023 (Jan-Dec)   | 2024 (Jan-Dec)   | 2025 (January)   |
|----------------------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
| Andaman &Nicobar Islands         | 345              | 528              | 455              | 52               |
| Andhra Pradesh                   | 192360           | 212146           | 245174           | 23180            |
| Arunachal Pradesh                | 2501             | 4409             | 6388             | 714              |
| Assam                            | 39919            | 94945            | 166232           | 20900            |
| Bihar                            | 141926           | 241827           | 263930           | 34442            |
| Chandigarh                       | 5365             | 11782            | 8644             | 754              |
| Chhattisgarh                     | 21365            | 29221            | 38268            | 5159             |
| Delhi                            | 6691             | 17874            | 25210            | 3196             |
| Dadra Nagar Haveli And Daman Diu | 4169             | 5921             | 7926             | 620              |
| Goa                              | 8057             | 11904            | 17236            | 1789             |
| Gujarat                          | 169363           | 278537           | 392837           | 53942            |
| Haryana                          | 35837            | 42690            | 60417            | 7787             |
| Himachal Pradesh                 | 15935            | 21096            | 22909            | 2135             |
| JammuAnd Kashmir                 | 22110            | 34664            | 51027            | 4824             |
| Jharkhand                        | 9539             | 31251            | 43874            | 5344             |
| Karnataka                        | 163356           | 232715           | 361494           | 39437            |
| Kerala                           | 4000             | 71606            | 115046           | 11649            |
| Ladakh                           | 2165             | 2569             | 4078             | 373              |
| Lakshadweep                      | 0                | 0                | 0                | 0                |
| Madhya Pradesh                   | 66018            | 113499           | 142948           | 16710            |
| Maharashtra                      | 393020           | 472790           | 485345           | 56538            |
| Manipur                          | 4450             | 2964             | 9257             | 798              |
| Meghalaya                        | 5302             | 9611             | 17784            | 2466             |
| Mizoram                          | 891              | 1141             | 1873             | 179              |
| Nagaland                         | 452              | 600              | 714              | 85               |
| Odisha                           | 65396            | 92848            | 166792           | 24478            |
| Puducherry                       | 11937            | 13006            | 12148            | 894              |
| Punjab                           | 15519            | 18680            | 22912            | 2164             |
| Rajasthan                        | 88029            | 103533           | 140543           | 15062            |
| Sikkim                           | 3845             | 6636             | 8601             | 840              |
| Tamil Nadu                       | 364435           | 441796           | 480427           | 48931            |
| Telangana                        | 92924            | 119014           | 121997           | 10424            |
| Tripura                          | 3051             | 6510             | 9641             | 1266             |
| Uttarakhand                      | 15649            | 25623            | 23091            | 1790             |
| Uttar Pradesh                    | 191361           | 229921           | 164009           | 20478            |
| West Bengal                      | 22627            | 48664            | 76486            | 10264            |
| Total                            | 21,89,909        | 30,52,521        | 37,15,713        | 4,29,664         |

Human Rabies cases (Death) reported by states/UTs (from 2022-25)

| State/UT                         |   2022 (Jan- Dec) |   2023 (Jan-Dec) |   2024 (Jan-Dec) |   2025 (January) |
|----------------------------------|-------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
| Andaman &Nicobar Islands         |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Andhra Pradesh                   |                 3 |                0 |                1 |                0 |
| Arunachal Pradesh                |                 0 |                0 |                1 |                0 |
| Assam                            |                 0 |                3 |                1 |                1 |
| Bihar                            |                 1 |                3 |                2 |                0 |
| Chandigarh                       |                 1 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Chhattisgarh                     |                 0 |                1 |                0 |                0 |
| Delhi                            |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Dadra Nagar Haveli And Daman Diu |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Goa                              |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Gujarat                          |                 0 |                3 |                1 |                0 |
| Haryana                          |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Himachal Pradesh                 |                 1 |                1 |                3 |                0 |
| JammuAnd Kashmir                 |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Jharkhand                        |                 0 |                1 |                1 |                0 |
| Karnataka                        |                 3 |                4 |                5 |                0 |
| Kerala                           |                 0 |                1 |                3 |                0 |
| Ladakh                           |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Lakshadweep                      |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Madhya Pradesh                   |                 1 |                2 |                6 |                0 |
| Maharashtra                      |                 7 |               14 |               14 |                0 |
| Manipur                          |                 1 |                3 |                2 |                0 |
| Meghalaya                        |                 0 |                1 |                4 |                0 |
| Mizoram                          |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Nagaland                         |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Odisha                           |                 0 |                1 |                0 |                0 |
| Puducherry                       |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Punjab                           |                 1 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Rajasthan                        |                 0 |                3 |                0 |                0 |
| Sikkim                           |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Tamil Nadu                       |                 2 |                5 |                2 |                0 |
| Telangana                        |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Tripura                          |                 0 |                1 |                1 |                0 |
| Uttarakhand                      |                 0 |                0 |                0 |                0 |
| Uttar Pradesh                    |                 0 |                3 |                6 |                0 |
| West Bengal                      |                 0 |                0 |                1 |                0 |
| Total                            |                21 |               50 |               54 |                1 |

The activities undertaken by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) for rabies elimination across the country are as follows:

- 1Launch of NAPRE: - Under the 'National Rabies Control Program', the "National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030" (NAPRE) was conceptualized and jointly launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying (MoFAHD) on September 28, 2021. The NAPRE guidelines consist of two components: Human Health and Animal Health. The implementation of the Human Health component is undertaken by the 'National Centre for Disease Control' (NCDC) under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with dedicated budgetary support, while the implementation of the Animal Health  component  is  to  be  undertaken  by  the  Department  of  Animal  Husbandry  and  Dairying (DAHD) under MoFAHD.  As per Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 Mass dog vaccination and dog population management are being done by the animal husbandry department in collaboration with local body authorities.
- 2Budgetary support to the states under National Rabies Control Program: Under the 'National Health Mission', the states are being supported by providing budget for implementing the 'National Rabies Control Program' (NRCP) through budget for Capacity building of the healthcare staff, procurement of rabies vaccines, printing of IEC for rabies & dogbite prevention, for data entry support, review meetings,  Monitoring  and  Surveillance,  establishment  of  Model Anti  Rabies  Clinics  &  Wound Washing facilities.
- 3Availability of ARV and ARS in Health facilities: - The lifesaving drugs like Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV)  and  Anti-Rabies  Serum  (ARS)/Rabies  Immunoglobulin  (RIG)  are  being  provided  at government hospitals and health facilities under the National Free Drug Initiative of the National Health Mission (NHM). These drugs are also included in the essential drug list of the states.
- 4Workshops  conducted  under  NRCP  for  SAPRE:  - To  develop  the  'State Action  Plan  for  Rabies Elimination'(SAPRE), regional level workshops have been conducted for southern states, northeastern  states,  North  region  states  and  Delhi  in  the  last  two  years.  Rajasthan,  Puducherry, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tamilnadu have already launched their SAPREs, while Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi are yet to launch their SAPREs. Rest other states are drafting their SAPRE
- 5Establishment of Model Anti Rabies Clinics across the states: Support is being provided to the states' Health Departments for establishing "Model Anti-Rabies Clinics" in the districts to provide care to dog bite victims. As of now, 279 Model Anti-Rabies Clinics have become operational in the last three years.
- 6Strengthening the Diagnostic Labs for Rabies Diagnosis: - Across country 14 diagnostic laboratories of government health institutions have been strengthened under the National Rabies Control Program for rabies diagnosis in the selected states/UTs.
- 7Issues  advisories  and  Communication  letters  to  the  states:  -  Issued  advisory  to  all  states  by  the Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  (MoHFW),  Government  of  India  (GoI),  urging  them  to classify  Human  Rabies  as  a  Notifiable  Disease  under  relevant  acts.  Presently,  Human  Rabies  is notifiable in 23 States/UTs. Additionally, various communications have been sent to the states for implementation of National Rabies Control Program (NRCP) through surveillance, availability of ARV/ARS, training to stakeholders on dogbite and rabies cases management, establishment of Model Anti Rabies Clinics, ensuring Wound washing facility in public hospitals and centres.
- 8Rabies Free City Imitative: - The Rabies-Free Cities initiative has commenced in a phased manner, targeting Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities for rabies prevention & control. The initiative is being implemented in 15 cities of 6 states and planned for expansion to 114 cities across country.
- 9Formulation of Committees at National & state Level under National Rabies Control Program: - The National Joint steering committee for Rabies Elimination (NJSC-RE) has been constituted under the chairpersonship of Secretary (HFW)-MoHFW and Co-chairpersonship of Secretary Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying for overall steering the program in the country and to formulate policy, legislations and framework for regulatory mechanism. Similarly, to advise the program division on various technical aspects the National  Technical  Advisory  committee  (NTAC)  was  constituted  under  the  chairpersonship  of DGHS. In line with NJSC; state and district-level Joint Steering Committees for Rabies Elimination have been established across states and districts to regular review program progress under NRCP.
- 10Develop Guidelines and resource documents under National Rabies Control Program: - Various guidelines on rabies prophylaxis and training modules have been developed for medical officers and health workers and disseminated with the states/UTs.
- 11Training  Programs  under  National  Rabies  Control  Program:  -  Numerous  training  sessions  for healthcare professionals on proper animal bite management and rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) have been conducted across all States/UTs. Around 1,66,470 medical officers, paramedical staff, and nurses have been trained in dog bite management from 2019 to 2025 (till Feb'25).
- 12Community Awareness on Dogbite and Rabies: - Community awareness about rabies prevention is being raised through advocacy, communication, and social mobilization campaigns. To create the awareness to the public and healthcare professionals Dog bite protocols, IEC materials, and training videos on the management of animal bite/dog bite cases for medical officers have been created and disseminated across the country. Reference: https://rabiesfreeindia.mohfw.gov.in/iec
- 13Observance of 'World Rabies Day': - To further promote awareness about rabies, "World Rabies Day" is observed annually on 28 th September at both the national and state levels. During this event, awareness activities on the Do's and Don'ts of handling dogs, dog bite cases, and the importance of rabies vaccination are conducted, particularly in schools for children.
- 14Created dedicated website for  National Rabies  Control Program: - A dedicated National Rabies Control  Program  website  has  been  launched  on  12 th March  2024  to  enhance  surveillance  and reporting  of  animal  bites,  suspected/probable/confirmed  rabies  cases/deaths,  and  vaccination schedules, with a web-based portal currently under development. Reference: https://rabiesfreeindia.mohfw.gov.in/
- 15Rabies Helpline: - A dedicated Rabies helpline (15400) in Hindi & English is being implemented for five states (Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam) in phase one, with plans for subsequent expansion in other states.
- 16Strengthening Surveillance mechanism under National Rabies Control Program: - The program has enhanced surveillance of rabies cases and animal bites. States are compiling dog bite and rabies death  cases  on  monthly  basis  and  uploading  the  data  to  the  Integrated  Disease  Surveillance Programme (IDSP) Portal.