New Delhi: Indian government is intensifying its efforts to address Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in food animals, particularly poultry. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), through its Indian Network for Fisheries and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR) annual report, has been publishing surveillance data on AMR, accessible to the public.
A study conducted by ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) utilized machine learning algorithms to analyze various factors influencing AMR, including agro-climatic zones, pathogen phylotypes, and host characteristics.
Key Government Initiatives to Curb AMR
🔹 Vaccination Programs: Under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP), the government provides 100% central assistance for vaccination against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Classical Swine Fever (CSF), Lumpy Skin Disease, Black Quarter, and Haemorrhagic Septicaemia. Vaccination helps reduce antibiotic use, minimizing AMR risks.
🔹 Veterinary Treatment Guidelines: The government has developed Standard Veterinary Treatment Guidelines (SVTGs) for Livestock and Poultry to ensure responsible antimicrobial use and improved disease control.
🔹 Poultry Disease Action Plan: The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) has introduced a comprehensive Poultry Disease Action Plan focusing on biosecurity measures, surveillance, and vaccination to safeguard poultry and public health.
🔹 Digital Healthcare for Livestock: The Bharat Pashudhan application, launched under the National Digital Livestock Mission, provides digital solutions for managing 29 common dairy animal ailments, such as mastitis, indigestion, and diarrhea, using Ethno-Veterinary Medicine (EVM).
🔹 Regulatory Oversight on Veterinary Drugs:
✔ Empowered Committee on Animal Health-Regulatory reviews veterinary drug and vaccine proposals for policy recommendations.
✔ National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR), formulated in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW), aims at judicious antibiotic use, surveillance, and monitoring.
✔ Advisories issued to States/UTs to promote responsible antibiotic use, banning their use in animal feed.
✔ Colistin Ban: Following recommendations from the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, the government has prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of Colistin for food-producing animals, poultry, aqua farming, and animal feed supplements.
Strengthened Surveillance and Monitoring
📌 ICAR’s All India Network Programme on AMR (AINP-AMR), involving 31 centers across various states, has been established to enhance nationwide AMR surveillance.
📌 INFAAR, consisting of 20 animal science centers, is working on building a robust monitoring framework.
New Regulations for Poultry Welfare
The Central Government has notified the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Egg-Laying Hens) Rules, 2023, ensuring better living conditions for poultry birds. The rules prohibit:
❌ Feeding laying hens with dead chick remains
❌ Use of antimicrobial growth promoters
❌ Non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials (antibiotics can only be used under veterinary supervision)
❌ Feed withdrawal to induce molting
This information was provided by Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on April 2, 2025.
