Government partners with UNDP to digitise livestock vaccine supply chain

Govt partners with UNDP: The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying of India has signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to digitise the supply chain for livestock vaccines, improving the monitoring of the cold chain management process.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) aims to use technology, including artificial intelligence, to monitor vaccine storage temperatures and stocks in real-time across India's extensive network of livestock farms, according to an official statement.

“With the digitalisation of the entire vaccine stock management system, the inequities in vaccine supply will be addressed,” said Alka Upadhyay, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD).

The vaccine cold chain management process will be overseen with the assistance of advanced technology and artificial intelligence through the Animal Vaccine Intelligence Network (AVIN), developed by the UNDP, Upadhyay added.

Mitigating risks at human-animal-environment interface

UNDP’s resident representative in India, Caitlin Wiesen, noted that this initiative would improve animal health and mitigate risks at the human-animal-environment interface. She highlighted that frequent zoonotic disease outbreaks and climate change are increasing livestock vulnerability.

India, with a livestock population of nearly 140 crore, aims to vaccinate around 70 crore animals this year against foot-and-mouth disease, with an expenditure of approximately Rs 900 crore.

Sarita Chouhan, a joint secretary at the DAHD, stated that real-time monitoring of the country’s vast cold chain network would ensure the management and delivery of quality vaccines at the correct temperatures nationwide.

In addition to cold chain digitisation, the MoU includes provisions for technical assistance on livestock rearing practices, insurance planning, and communication strategies for the DAHD’s outreach programmes.

(With PTI inputs)