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The Empowered Committee for Animal Health (ECAH) is India’s apex, evidence-driven policy body guiding animal health governance. Established in 2021, it functions as the think tank of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the aegis of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India.

Composition and Mandate

• Chair: Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
• Vice-Chair: Secretary, DAHD
• Members: Experts from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Veterinary Council of India (VCI), academia, and industry.
• Core Role: Provide strategic guidance on national animal health programmes, emerging disease threats, One Health initiatives, and regulatory frameworks for veterinary vaccines, drugs, and biologicals.

Functions

• Act as a national think tank for animal health programmes of importance.
• Streamline regulatory approvals by assessing safety, efficacy, and quality of veterinary products.
• Promote innovation uptake and resilient, farmer-centric animal health systems.
• Assess and advise on emerging animal diseases with epidemic/pandemic potential.

9th ECAH Meeting (July 2025): Key Outcomes

Held in New Delhi under DAHD, the meeting-chaired by the PSA-reviewed progress and charted the roadmap for animal health strengthening. Emphasis areas included farmer awareness, vaccination coverage, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and regulatory reforms to improve access to quality veterinary products.

Major Milestones Reported

National Disease Control Programmes (Vaccination):

• FMD: 124.10 crore doses
• PPR: 28.89 crore doses
• Brucellosis: 4.77 crore doses
• Classical Swine Fever: 0.88 crore doses
• Vaccination records digitised via Bharat Pashudhan app.
• Animal Vaccine Intelligence Network (AVIN) pilots for real-time cold-chain monitoring.
• All programme vaccines are indigenously developed, reinforcing Atmanirbhar Bharat; India also exports vaccines.

Disease-Free Compartments & International Recognition:

• India’s first Equine Disease-Free Compartment (EDFC) endorsed by World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) (July 2025), enabling global movement of Indian sport horses.
• 44 HPAI (Avian Influenza) compartments approved for biosecure, export-ready poultry systems.
• ICAR–NIHSAD, Bhopal recognised as a Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility by WOAH and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-placing India among a small global cohort.
• Additional WOAH reference labs recognised for Equine Piroplasmosis (Hisar) and Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome in fish (Lucknow).

Laboratory & Surveillance Capacity:

• Under the Pandemic Fund Project:
  • Indian Network of Genomic Surveillance (INGeS): 11 labs
  • Indian Network on Transboundary Animal Diseases & EIDs: 19 labs
• Push for NABL accreditation of CDDLs/RDDLs and State ADLs; launch of “Rate My Lab” for transparency and benchmarking.