"The emphasis is to build a strong animal health system, essential to animal, human health and food security, apart from its importance in the overall economy. It is also key to protecting livelihoods and addressing threats from emerging infectious diseases," an unnamed official told the newspaper, noting that the initiative will create an "integrated disease reporting system for enhanced surveillance of zoonotic and other animal diseases."
The program is set to be launched by Indian Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala on Friday, the report said.
Meanwhile, a former regional director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Rupesh Oza, told Hindustan Times that "prevention of animal infections, especially large outbreaks, has become all the more important due to greater risks to humans today compared to even half a century ago."
He added that climate change is one of the factors for increased risks of emergent diseases.
India has the world's largest livestock population with 536.76 million cattle.
Livestock accounts for 30% of the country’s gross value added in the agricultural sector. In 2022, India struggled with a lumpy skin disease outbreak, which reportedly killed or emaciated about 300,000 cattle.