On 25th October 2024, Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying (MoFAH&D) launched Pandemic Fund Project, a USD 25 million initiative funded by the Group-20 (G20) Pandemic Fund, to strengthen animal health security in India for pandemic preparedness and response during an event held in New Delhi, Delhi.
- He also launched the 21st Livestock Census which will be conducted till February 2025 at a cost of Rs 200 crore.
Key People: Union Minister of States (MoS) George Kurian and S.P. Singh Bhagel, MoFAH&D; Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa; Professor Dr. V.K. Paul, Member (Health), National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) and representatives from all 36 states and Union Territories (UTs) were also present at the event.
About Pandemic Fund Project:
i.The “Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response” initiative will play a pivotal role in alleviating the risk related to zoonotic diseases that can spread from animals to humans.
- The main objective of the project is to enhance the country’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to animal health threats.
- The implementation of grant activities of the Project is expected to be completed in August 2026.
ii.It will be implemented in collaboration with Asian Development Bank (ADB), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank Group (WBG).
iii.The key activities under the project are bolstering and integrating disease surveillance and Early Warning Systems (EWS), upgrading and expanding the laboratory network, building capacity for data analytics and risk communication, among others.
iv.The project will achieve its main objective of enhancing India’s animal health security through 5 key outputs such as:
- Augmentation of Laboratory Systems: The key focus of this output is on upgrading and expanding animal health laboratories and developing laboratory networks.
- Strengthening of Surveillance and EWS: It aims to enhance EWS and to build robust sentinel and passive surveillance mechanisms to detect potential outbreaks at an early stage and facilitate timely interventions.
- Development of Human Resources Capacity and Competency: This will include capacity-building initiatives to improve the skills and capabilities of animal health human resources.
- Bolstering of Data Systems, Analytics, Risk Analysis, and Risk Communication: Upgrading data management systems and improving analytics capabilities will enable better risk assessment , enhanced decision-making, and more effective communication related to animal health risks.
- Addressing Cross-Cutting Institutional Capacity Gaps at National and Regional Levels: This project will bolster institutional capacity at both regional and national levels by supporting the development of a disaster management framework for the livestock sector, improving Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) mitigation efforts.
Background:
i.The G20 Pandemic Fund was established under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022.
ii.It has approved the USD 25 million proposal of DAHD, MoFAH&D, Government of India on “Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response”.
iii.The Pandemic Fund provides financial support in the form of critical investments to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacities at national, regional and international levels, focusing on low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).
About 21st Livestock Census:
i.It will cover more than 30 crore households across all states and UTs including nomadic communities and pastoralists, with over 1 lakh field personnel involved.
ii.The census will provide the updated data on the livestock population, which will help the government to address key issues like: disease control, breed improvement, and rural livelihoods.
- It will focus on key areas of livestock such as Gender Roles in Livestock Rearing, Breed Management, Animal Health and Productivity.
iii.During the census, data of 15 species of livestock such as cattle, buffalo, mithun, yak, sheep, goat, pig, camel, among others will be collected.
iv.The census will use modern technologies such as the mobile application for data collection and real-time monitoring through a web-based dashboard, which marks a major step towards modernization of data collection methodologies.
Other Key Points:
i.While addressing the event, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh highlighted that the livestock sector has witnessed significant growth over the last 9 years with the implementation of various schemes of DAHD like: DAHD is aiming to control and eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis in the country through National Animal Disease Control Program (NADCP).
- So far, total 90.87 crores FMD vaccines and 4.23 crore vaccines for Brucellosis have been administered.
- Also, DAHD is planning to create FMD free zones in 9 states of the country.
ii.During the event, Union Minister also released two key documents aimed to strengthen animal health management in India:
- Standard Veterinary Treatment Guidelines (SVTG): It is a comprehensive document that lays out best practices for veterinary care, aimed at improving the overall health and productivity of livestock and supporting to the national action plan for AMR.
- Crisis Management Plan (CMP) for Animal Diseases: It is a critical resource that will provide a framework for managing and responding to outbreaks of animal diseases, ensuring rapid containment and mitigation.
About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAH&D):
Union Minister- Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Constituency- Munger, Bihar)
Minister of State (MoS) – S.P. Singh Baghel (Constituency- Agra, Uttar Pradesh, UP); George Kurian (Rajya Sabha- Madhya Pradesh, MP)
