Policy Update
Arjya Shree Pande
BACKGROUND
India’s animal birth control ABC rules 2023, notified by the Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry And Dairying on 10th March 2023, (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, 2023) represent a comprehensive update to the legal framework governing the management of free roaming dogs. Issued under section 38 of the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act, 1960, these rules replace the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001, (Press Information Bureau, 2023) which had significant gaps in standardization, monitoring, infrastructure requirements and cruelty prevention.
The policy was demanded by the escalating challenges such as the uncontrolled growth of the stray dog population, rising human dog conflicts, high incidence of dog bites over 160 million cases reported between 2019 and 2022, and India’s substantial share of global rabies deaths, approximately 36%. Indiscriminate killing or permanent relocation of dogs had proven ineffective and inhuman, often violating animal welfare principles and Supreme Court directives.
The Rules address the guidelines of the honourable Supreme Court in Writ Petition No. 691 of 2009 (Press Information Bureau, 2023) Animal Welfare Board of India vs. People For Elimination of Stray Troubles and subsequent orders that explicitly prohibit relocation of dogs, mandating instead of science based human Catch Neuter Vaccinate Return approach.
The primary objectives are to regulate street dog populations through systemic sterilization, immunize against rabies, minimize human animal conflict without displacement, ensure high standards of animal welfare during procedures and integrate ABC with anti rabies programs. Local bodies such as municipalities, municipal corporations and panchayats are designated as the primary implementing agencies, required to conduct programs jointly with anti rabies efforts. Only Animal Welfare Board Of India (AWBI) recognised organizations holding a specific Certificate of Project Recognition may undertake ABC work. (Animal Welfare Board of India, n.d.)
Key provisions include mandatory project recognition valid for 3 years, renewable after infrastructure inspection, establishment of dedicated ABC Centres with surgical facilities post operative care, quarantine and isolation kennels, identification of sterilized dogs, return of animals to their exact original locations, protocols for handling aggressive or diseased dogs formation of monitoring communities and animal welfare committees for conflict resolution, and strict prohibitions on unauthorized programs with provisions for immediate termination and treatment if recognition is lacking or refused.
The Rules came into focus upon gazette publication in March 2023, following public consultation on the 2022 draft. Local authorities were directed to align existing programs within a defined transition period typically 6 months. Target beneficiaries encompass street or community dogs themselves, urban and rural residents, and animal welfare organizations. Subsequent guidance from AWBI and state level communications has reinforced implementation, though the core rules remain the foundational instrument as of 2026, supporting India’s broader commitments under the National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030.
FUNCTIONING
The animal birth control ABC rules 2023 operate on a Catch – Neuter – Vaccinate – Return model. Community dogs are humanly captured from defined locality, transported to recognised ABC centres, surgically sterilised with the female centric focus recommended for faster population impact, vaccinated against rabies, marked for identification, given post operative care and released exactly where they were picked up. Relocation or long term retention of healthy dogs is prohibited.
Responsibility rests primarily with local bodies. The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) grants mandatory Project Recognition certificates valid for 3 years after infrastructure and manpower inspection. Multi tier monitoring committees are mandated. Animal welfare organisations recognised by AWBI may partner with local bodies only after securing project specific recognition.
Local authorities either deploy their own veterinary officers or engage recognised partners. Standard operation procedures issued by AWBI govern capture, surgery, record keeping, population surveys. Joint implementation with anti rabies programs is required.
No dedicated central budgetary allocation exists for large scale ABC. States and local bodies bear primary financial responsibility. AWBI provides limited grants under its “Scheme For Birth Control and Immunization Of Stray Dogs”. Some assistance up to 800 per dog is available to SPCAs and local bodies. National Rabies Control Program funds have occasionally supported pilot efforts.
AWBI has issued project recognition certificates to a growing but still limited number of animal welfare organizations and municipal corporations. Coverage is highly uneven, such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Punjab and Karnataka show active centres while many others lag. In Delhi as of late 2025, 11 of 20 ABC centres still lacked formal project recognition despite applications. Parliamentary replies confirm that the ministry does not maintain state wise sterilization totals, earlier AWBI supported figures were in the low tens of thousands nationally far below the scale needed.
PERFORMANCE
As of early 2026, AWBI has granted project recognition to a limited number of organisations and municipal bodies across selected states, yet coverage remains highly uneven.
No comprehensive national Management Information System or real time dashboard publicly tracks sterilization, vaccination or coverage rates under the 2023 rules. Data remain fragmented across local bodies, AWBI project recognition lists and occasional parliamentary replies.
Union budget documents and economic surveys contain no dedicated large scale allocations for ABC programmes. Primary responsibility and funding rest with the state government and urban local bodies. AWBI’s “Scheme for Birth Control And Immunization Of Stray Dogs” has historically disbursed modest sums often below ₹50 lakh annually in the years preceding 2023 (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, 2023). In 2025, the scheme was revised to provide ₹800 per dog and 600 per cat for SPCAs and local bodies, plus one time infrastructure grant of ₹2 crore for state veterinary hospitals (Press Information Bureau, 2025).
Support under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme continues for anti rabies vaccines. These amounts remain insufficient relative to the estimated national street dog population and the scientific target of greater or equal to 70% sterilisation coverage required for population stabilization.
Dog bite incidence has not shown a clear national decline, reports indicate continued high numbers with over 3.7 million cases cited for 2024 in some analysis. Rabies remains endemic with India accounting for a substantial share of global human deaths. Local success exists in intensive programmes in places such as Goa and certain municipal corporations have achieved higher sterilisation coverage in targeted zones but these are exceptions. Supreme Court observation in 2025 – 26 noted an absence of sustained, systematic and incremental efforts to build infrastructure, train personnel and ensure institutional continuity. (Humane World for Animals, 2026)
No robust national management information system tracks sterilization numbers, coverage rates, dog bite trends or rabies incidents. Monitoring committees mandated under the rules often function weekly or exist only on paper.
Without stronger oversight and technology enabled, tracking these risks undermine both animal welfare objectives and public trust in the CNVR approach. Collectively, these issues indicate that while the 2023 Rules provide a sound legal architecture, systemic deficiency in resources, data systems and interagency coordination continue to limit effective translation of policy into measurable outcomes.
IMPACT
The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, aimed to stabilise street dog population through systematic sterilization, reduce rabies transmission, minimise human dog conflict without relocations and uphold animal welfare standards. Three years after notification, available evidence indicates that these objectives remain largely unmet at the national scale, though the policy has strengthened the legal and procedural foundation.
Official reports and PIB releases confirm ongoing advisories and revised AWBI funding guidelines of ₹800 per dog, yet provide no national data demonstrating population decline or reduced rabies incident attributable to the 2023 framework. Parliamentary replies state that sterilization is the responsibility of local bodies and that intensive implementation is the only rational solution.
Research studies reinforce this assessment. A 2025 Nature Scientific Reports evaluation of CNVN intervention in Goa found that even 58 to 66% female sterilization coverage produced fewer puppies and lactating females but no detectable reduction in adult free roaming dog counts over a 2 year follow up (Press Information Bureau, 2025). Earlier studies showed variable population reductions only under intensive sustained coverage which remains rare.
News reports and expert commentary from animal welfare organizations document continued high dog bite numbers, persistence conflicts and incomplete Project Recognition of ABC centres. While isolated municipal successes exist, the absence of nationwide coverage approaching the scientifically recommended 70% threshold, chronic underfunding, occasional infrastructure grants are inefficient relative to the scale required, and weak monitoring which means the policy has so far delivered procedural Improvements rather than measurable achievements of its core population control, public health and conflict reduction goals. Supreme Court observation 2025 – 26 highlighted the continued absence of sustained systematic and incremental efforts to build capacity, leaving implementation reactive and geographically uneven.
Compared with the pre 2023 regime, the new rules have improved standardization, mandatory recognition, monitoring committees and prohibition of relocation. Yet secondary literature, PIB advisories 2024 – 25 and judicial scrutiny highlight chronic underfunding, shortage of trained veterinary surgeons, inadequate ABC centres, weak enforcement of recognition requirements and limited population survey data. No major CAG audit focused exclusively on ABC implementation post 2023 is publicly available. Overall while the policy framework is robust, actual performance over the first 3 years remains constrained by capacity, fiscal and coordination deficits, preventing measurable national impact on dog populations or human animal conflict.
Dog bite incidence has not shown a clear national decline, reports indicate continued high numbers over 3.7 million cases cited for 2024 in some analysis. Rabies remains endemic with India accounting for a substantial share of global human deaths.
Local success exists in intensive programmes in places such as Goa and certain municipal corporations have achieved higher sterilisation coverage in targeted zones but these are exceptions. Supreme Court observation in 2025 – 26 noted an absence of sustained, systematic and incremental efforts to build infrastructure, train personnel and ensure institutional continuity.
EMERGING ISSUES
Secondary literature and Supreme Court observation from 2025 – 26 highlight persistence gaps, inadequate infrastructure and few fully functional district level ABC centres, shortage of trained veterinary personnel, inconsistent funding, weak monitoring and continued unstructured or non compliant programs by some municipalities. Implementation has been described as reactive and lacking institutional continuity.
Data vacuum undermines evidence based course correction and weakness accountability of local authorities and independent partners.
Coordination between municipal bodies, state animal husbandry departments, health departments and AWBI remains fragmented. Protocols for handling aggressive or habitual biting dogs, and conflict resolution through animal welfare committees are inconsistently applied.
Welfare and operational risk reports of variable surgical standards, incomplete Project Recognition of existing centres, and occasional allegations of inadequate post operative care point to persistent welfare gaps.
Persistence absence of a national real time dashboard has left policy makers without reliable data on sterilization coverage, making evidence based mid-course corrections nearly impossible. Growing judicial interventions and suo – motu cases reveal deep public frustration with incomplete ABC execution. Climate and monsoon related challenges such as flooding of kennels, disease outbreaks are disrupting post operative care and release schedules without adaptive protocols.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To realise the full potential of the animal birth control rules 2023, India must shift from a fragmented under-resourced approach to a systematic adequately financed and data driven national program. The following strategic measures can enhance effectiveness while aligning with the broader development priorities of public health, urban liveability, animal welfare and the One Health Agenda under National Action Plan for dog mediated rabies elimination by 2030.
Dedicated and Performance linked Central Funding Mechanism – Establish a dedicated central funding window within the Department Of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, with performance linked grants to states and urban local bodies. Scale up the revised AWBI assistance and infrastructure support level to enable sustained equal to or more than 70% sterilization coverage and priority districts. Simultaneously integrate the ABC financing with Urban Development and health budgets to ensure predictability.
District Level ABC Infrastructure and National Digital Monitoring System – Mandate and resource the creation of at least one fully functional AWBI recognized ABC centre in every district within a fixed time frame, staffed by trained veterinary teams and supported by digital tracking systems. Introduce a national management information system for a real time recording of captures, surgeries and vaccinations, releases and population surveys, enabling evidence based monitoring by the multi tier committees already provided under the rules.
Strengthen Inter – Agency Coordination and Community Engagement – Strengthen institutional coordination through time bound action plans jointly owned by municipal bodies, state animal husbandry and health departments and AWBI. Scale training programs for veterinarians and catchers and operationalise animal welfare communities for structured conflict resolution and community engagement, including designated feeding zones and public education on responsible coexistence.
Targeted High Impact Campaigns Linked to Public Health Outcomes – prioritise high density urban and high bite incidence areas for intensive, area wise campaigns while maintaining the legal prohibition on relocation of healthy dogs. Link ABC outcomes explicitly to measurable reductions in dog bite cases and rabies incidents. These steps would convert the robust legal framework of 2023 into a level of scalable public health and welfare intervention, reducing human animal conflict, advancing rabies elimination and demonstrating India’s commitment to human and science based animal population management.
REFERENCES
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. (2023, March 10). Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. Gazette of India.
Press Information Bureau. (2023, April 18). Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 notified by Central Government. Government of India.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1917510
Press Information Bureau. (2025, August 19). Menace of Stray Dogs. Government of India.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2157898
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. (2023, July 21). Sterilization of stray dogs (Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 265). Government of India.
https://dahd.gov.in/sites/default/files/2024-10/RS265.pdf
Animal Welfare Board of India. (n.d.). List of AWOs/Municipal Corporations granted Project Recognition to undertake ABC program approved as per ABC Rules, 2023.
Animal Welfare Board of India. (n.d.). Animal Birth Control (ABC) Handbook / Module.
https://awbi.gov.in/uploads/regulations/174073561494ABC_HandBook.pdf
Animal Welfare Board of India. (n.d.). Advisories / Circulars.
Animal Welfare Board of India. (n.d.). Project Recognition for ABC.
https://awbi.gov.in/view/index/Project-Recognition-for-ABC
Humane World for Animals. (2026, May 22). States and Union Territories ordered to effectively implement the Animal Birth Control Framework.
https://www.humaneworld.org/en/supreme-court-india-implementation-ABC-rules-dogs
Fielding, H. R., et al. (2025). Managing free-roaming domestic dog populations using a catch-neuter-vaccinate-return programme. Scientific Reports.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-98990-1
About the Contributor
Arjya Shree Pande is a Research and Editorial Intern at IMPRI. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Sociology and Advanced Postgraduate Diplomas in Communication for Social Behaviour Change (technical support, UNICEF) and Global Politics. She is seeking analytical, policy, or programme-oriented roles in international, governmental, or development settings where she wants her experience in research, behavioural insights, and governance expertise can be applied to evidence-based decision-making, public service delivery, and technology-enabled social impact.
Acknowledgement
The author sincerely expresses gratitude to the reviewers and the editorial team for their valuable comments, constructive suggestions, and continuous guidance throughout the preparation of this article. She also thanks the reviewers, Ameya Satam and CB Kavin Adithya, for their valuable time, careful evaluation, and constructive comments. Their insightful suggestions have helped improve the quality, clarity, and overall presentation of this article. She greatly appreciates their thoughtful feedback and the opportunity to revise the manuscript accordingly.
Publisher: Pallavi Lad
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the organisation.
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