Animal Husbandry Commissioner Visits ICAR-NIVEDI, Bengaluru, Emphasizes Strengthened Disease Control and Global Scientific Engagement

1 April 2026, Bengaluru

Dr Naveena B.M., Animal Husbandry Commissioner (AHC), Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Government of India, visited the ICAR–National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Bengaluru.

During the visit, Dr Naveena B.M. commended ICAR-NIVEDI for its pivotal contributions to livestock health management and disease surveillance in the country. He highlighted the need for enhancing the institute’s global scientific footprint while continuing to deliver impactful support to national livestock programmes. He also acknowledged the institute’s technical contributions to various DAHD initiatives and reaffirmed the Department’s continued support, including through mechanisms such as the Pandemic Fund.

Welcoming the delegation, Dr Baldev R. Gulati, Director, ICAR-NIVEDI, outlined the institute’s growing role in veterinary epidemiology, disease forecasting, and decision-support systems for national programmes. He also appreciated the strong and sustained collaboration between ICAR-NIVEDI and DAHD.

In the course of discussions, Dr Gulati emphasized key policy considerations, including the need to revisit culling strategies for endemic diseases and to strengthen brucellosis control by scaling up vaccination efforts from the current single round to three annual rounds.

Dr Aruna Sharma, Joint Commissioner, who accompanied the AHC, appreciated ICAR-NIVEDI’s advancements in disease forecasting and early warning systems, underscoring their importance in proactive disease management.

The visit reinforced the strategic importance of ICAR-NIVEDI in supporting evidence-based policymaking and strengthening India’s livestock disease control framework.

(Source: ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Bengaluru)