Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to raise the issue of health and safety concerns posed by stray dogs. He also suggested the setting up of a national task force to tackle the problem.As per Chidambaram, India is home to one of the largest stray dog populations globally, with over 6.2 crore stray dogs.
There are no official estimates available on this as of now. The government is currently conducting a livestock census (that will cover stray animals also), and the report is expected to be finalised by April.
Sharing the photographs of his meeting with Modi on X, Chidambaram said rabies is endemic in India, which accounts for 36% of the world’s rabies-related deaths. Despite the introduction of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, the implementation has been ineffective.