Rajasthan Becomes First State To Implement SC Guidelines On Stray Dogs

Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to implement the Supreme Court’s directive on stray dogs, with the state government rolling out a comprehensive framework to manage the animals while ensuring public safety and animal welfare.

The Department of Autonomous Governance has issued strict instructions to all municipal corporations, councils, and municipalities, mandating adherence to the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023.

Authorities will mark feeding points for stray dogs in every ward and locality under the new policy.

Urban local bodies must work in coordination with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and animal welfare organisations to establish and maintain these feeding zones. Even in rabies cases, arrangements for food and water at designated spots will continue.

Vaccination, Sterilisation and Monitoring

According to Ravi Jain, Secretary of the Local Self Government Department, “Rajasthan is the first state in the country to issue such comprehensive orders balancing public safety and animal welfare after the Supreme Court’s decision.”

Municipal bodies will set up sterilisation, rabies vaccination, and deworming centres in every city. Authorities will treat, sterilise, tag, and release stray dogs in the same area where they found them, in accordance with the Court’s directive.

Authorities will install CCTV cameras in operating theatres and ABC centres to ensure transparency. Trained teams will catch dogs using nets or by hand, and they will not sterilise any dog below six months of age.

Each urban body must submit a compliance report to the state government within 30 days.

Officials will form monitoring committees in every city, including NGO representatives and animal welfare workers, to oversee the process.

Authorities must also maintain records of sterilisation, vaccination, deaths, and feeding routines.

The Animal Welfare Board of India has fixed Rs 200 for catching each dog and Rs 1,450 for sterilisation, feeding, and post-operative care.

The Supreme Court had earlier cautioned against sweeping orders to remove all strays, noting that without adequate infrastructure, such action could prove unfeasible.

It reaffirmed that sterilised and vaccinated dogs must be returned to their original locations, in line with the ABC Rules 2023.

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