PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant called for coordinated efforts among government departments, local bodies, animal welfare organisations and citizens to make Goa completely rabies-free, stressing that responsible pet ownership, vaccination and scientific management of the stray dog population were key to achieving the goal.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the five-day statewide One Health Rabies Awareness Campaign at Miramar on the occasion of World Rabies Day, CM Pramod Sawant said the theme Stronger Together reflected the need for collective action. He also inaugurated an awareness rally for schoolchildren.
CM Sawant recalled the early work of Mission Rabies and animal welfare organisations in Goa, saying that when he was a first-time MLA, such organisations received little or no government funding and initially approached local MLAs for permission to carry out sterilisation drives.
“When we saw their willingness to sterilise, we offered full local support, organised refreshments for their workers and provided space for their camps,” Sawant said. He credited Mission Rabies, animal welfare groups, volunteers and other partners for changing the approach towards stray dogs in Goa. “Earlier, people used to catch dogs to kill them. Now trained catchers handle them humanely. Over time, dog catching stopped being a nuisance and became a structured specialty,” Sawant said.
He said these combined efforts helped Goa become the first rabies-controlled state in India in 2021. “The credit goes back to Mission Rabies and animal welfare teams,” Sawant said. Recalling the severity of rabies, CM Sawant said that in the past, patients who developed the disease at Goa Medical College had to be kept in isolation. “Once rabies develops, there is no medical treatment; one simply had to wait until death in a dark room,” Sawant said.
Sawant stressed the importance of responsible pet ownership, warning that owners would face fines if their dogs were allowed to bite people. “Many bring large dogs as a hobby and feed them well, but if those dogs bite children outside, that is very bad. We will not tolerate this. We will levy fines. A child's life is precious,” he said. He urged pet owners to vaccinate their animals, care for them properly and never abandon them on the streets. He also pointed to the closure of seasonal beach shacks and the resulting loss of food sources as one factor contributing to stray dog-related issues.
CM Sawant said Goa sterilises 20,000 to 25,000 dogs annually, adding that the government had removed the earlier ₹4,000 fee and made sterilisation free following consultations with NGOs. The government has also allocated 25,000 square metres of land at Usgao for the mission, equipped with audiovisual facilities, computer projection systems and training infrastructure. “If we continue operating systematically on a large scale like this, achieving our goals is entirely possible,” Sawant said. He added that Goa's rabies-control practices were being studied by other states, with the Rajasthan Chief Minister and representatives of the Jaipur municipality seeking information on the state's model.
CM Sawant also highlighted the establishment of Goa's veterinary college at Curti, Ponda, saying it would help create a pool of trained veterinary professionals. “Previously, only four Goan students received seats for veterinary admissions outside the state each year through the Government of Goa. But during my tenure, we established Goa's own Veterinary College,” he said. The first batch has 40 students, while the formal inauguration is expected in October. Construction of a modern veterinary hospital is also underway. Sawant said the college would create career opportunities beyond government employment, pointing to growing demand for veterinary services and specialised pet care.
He said Goa had initiated the One Health, One Mission framework involving Health Services, Education, Animal Husbandry, animal welfare organisations, local bodies and communities. “Even if breeding continues, population control through mass sterilisation and vaccination is key,” Sawant said, adding that sterilisation drives launched in South Goa were being expanded.
Sawant urged citizens to support humane and scientific dog population management and report suspected rabies cases immediately, linking the initiative to the broader goals of Viksit Bharat @ 2047 and Viksit Goa @ 2047.
