Shri Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, launched the ‘Orientation & Launch of One Health Pilot in Karnataka’ on June 28th in Bengaluru. In addition, the capacity-building plan in English and Kannada, as well as the One Health brochure, were launched in Kannada.
One-Health is a multi-sectoral approach that considers human, animal, and environmental health, as well as their interconnectivity and interdependence. After the COVID pandemic, it is especially important to take a holistic approach.
Shri Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, said at the launch of the pilot project, “The One Health India programme initiated by the Department will work to improve livestock health, human health, wildlife health, and environmental health by institutionalising coordination among animal, human, and wildlife departments, improving disease diagnosis and surveillance.”
This pilot project will help to institutionalise coordination among various sectors, making data sharing and disease outbreak reporting procedures feasible. It will make it easier to connect, strengthen, and integrate laboratories in a network. The project’s goal is to assist in the development of a targeted surveillance plan and to integrate data with the National Digital Livestock Mission’s digital architecture (NDLM). The Karnataka pilot will serve as the foundation for the development of India’s One Health Framework.”
Dr. Praveen Malik, the Animal Husbandry Commissioner for the Government of India, Shri Alkesh Wadhwani, the Director of the Poverty Alleviation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Smt. Salma K. Fahim, the Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries for the Government of Karnataka, Dr. Pushpalatha, the Incharge Director-Health for the Department of Health and Family Welfare for the Government of Karnataka, as well as Dr. Manjunath S. Palegar, Director, Animal Health, Government of Karnataka, and Shri Vijaykumar Gogi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (WL), Forest, Ecology, and Environment Department, among other significant players from the animal, human, and wildlife sectors.
Animal husbandry commissioner Dr. Praveen Malik stated, “We look forward to integrating human, environmental, and animal health with the launch of the One Health Framework pilot in Karnataka. Six planned interventions for the pilot will improve coordination between various relevant sectors and build the capacity of various teams. We anticipate the successful execution of the pilot with the assistance of the state departments and all stakeholders.
“We are happy that Karnataka is putting the One Health pilot project into practise. According to Ms. Salma K. Fahim, secretary for the government of Karnataka’s department of animal husbandry and fisheries, “this pilot will go a long way in helping us improve facilities and infrastructure in our state.”
With financial assistance from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the implementing partner, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), Government of India, is launching this project. An institutionalisation mechanism has been established through an apex inter-ministerial governance committee, chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in order to support the One Health initiative of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy, Government of India.
