Centre highlights critical role of veterinary services in supporting livestock sector
New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) The government on Saturday highlighted the critical role of veterinary services in supporting the livestock sector, which contributes over 30 per cent to India’s agricultural gross value added (GVA) value.
Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), underscored the need for establishing veterinary laboratories with NABL accreditation and emphasised that private sector collaboration is essential for disease surveillance, workforce capacity, and vaccine production.
Addressing a workshop in the national capital, she said that this has created a platform for structured public private partnership (PPP) engagement in veterinary services.
“The discussions will contribute to a roadmap that enhances national disease control programs, expands veterinary infrastructure, and ensures a sustainable ecosystem for animal health security,” she said.
Upadhyaya further emphasised the need for developing a structured PPP policy within a year to ensure long-term investment and private sector participation in veterinary services.
The workshop aimed to strengthen the veterinary services through PPP in areas such as vaccine platforms, veterinary workforce development, institutional infrastructure, and the creation of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)-Free Zones.
The DAHD, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), successfully organised the WOAH PVS-PPP (Performance of Veterinary Services-Public Private Partnership) targeted support workshop.
The discussions focused on bridging the critical gaps in veterinary services in India through structured PPP engagement, with emphasis on expanding veterinary infrastructure, including the establishment of NABL-accredited veterinary laboratories at the district level and strengthening disease control programs through enhanced surveillance and FMD-Free Zone development.
The other key focus areas were building veterinary workforce capacity through structured training and knowledge-sharing platforms and strengthening self-reliance in veterinary vaccine production by developing a robust vaccine value chain.
Dr Hirofumi Kugita, Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific at from World Organization for Animal Health, acknowledged India’s leadership in veterinary services and its potential to contribute to global best practices through knowledge-sharing and laboratory collaborations.
Dr Abhijit Mitra, Animal Husbandry Commissioner and the chief veterinary officer of the country, noted that scaling up veterinary services requires a structured institutional framework where the public and private sectors work together.
–IANS
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