Odisha workshop maps out compartmentalization roadmap to eradicate Foot & Mouth Disease

Central and state officials gathered in Bhubaneswar on 8 July 2026 for a two-day National Workshop on Compartmentalization and Zoning for Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD), organized by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. The workshop is meant to build a roadmap for FMD-free zones and compartments in line with international standards, supporting India’s target of eradicating the disease by 2030.

Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh lit the ceremonial lamp to open the event, alongside Minister of State Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel, Odisha Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Minister Shri Gokulananda Mallik, DAHD Secretary Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar, Additional Secretary Ms. Varsha Joshi, Additional Secretary Shri Rama Shankar Sinha and Animal Husbandry Commissioner Dr. Naveena B. Maheswarappa.

The Union Minister used the occasion to launch the Rate My Laboratory App for veterinary diagnostic labs under the Pandemic Fund, the Dairy Vikas Portal for tracking milk collection infrastructure, and the Vidyapeeth Portal for Artificial Insemination Training Institutes, alongside a Standard Operating Procedure folder and video on mastitis prevention and control in dairy animals.

He said the livestock sector contributes around 31% of Agricultural GVA and 5.5% of India’s overall GVA, and reported that NSP positivity has dropped from 16.6% in 2022 to 7.8% in 2026, with over 1.4 billion vaccine doses administered and no Asia-1 serotype cases in three years. India’s annual FMD vaccine production capacity now stands at 116 crore doses, and nine states have been marked as priority states for the zoning initiative.

Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel highlighted the sector’s support for more than 8 crore rural families, while Shri Gokulananda Mallik called for sustained vaccination, surveillance and biosecurity measures to help Odisha and other states reach FMD-free status. DAHD Secretary Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar addressed the role of compartmentalization and zoning in strengthening India’s disease-control framework.

The first technical session reviewed WOAH criteria for FMD-free zones and the Support to States/UTs for Capital Investment (SASCI) Scheme. Additional Secretary Ms. Varsha Joshi asked states to set up Fodder Task Forces and prepare district-level plans in view of possible El Niño effects on fodder supply. The workshop concludes 9 July 2026 with sessions on differential FMD strategies, negative marker vaccines and SAT serotype threats.