ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICARNIVEDI), Bengaluru, had the honour of hosting Hon’ble Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Government of India, during his visit on 6th and 8th November 2025.
Dr. Baldev R. Gulati, Director, ICAR-NIVEDI, and the staff warmly welcomed the Hon’ble Secretary. The visit began with a tree plantation, symbolizing a shared commitment to sustainability.
The Secretary toured major research facilities-the Disease Informatics, Parasitology, PPRWOAH Reference, NaaViC, and BSL-2+ Laboratories-interacting with scientists and reviewing ongoing research. He commended NIVEDI’s pivotal role in livestock disease surveillance, forecasting, and support to national health programs.
On 8th November, Shri Gangwar inaugurated NIVEDI’s Toll-Free Number (1800-599-4233) for veterinarians and livestock owners to enhance disease reporting and advisory services. He also released the National sero -monitoring Plan for Brucellosis and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).
During interactions, the Secretary emphasized DAHD’s intent to collaborate with NIVEDI to strengthen the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM) for disease forecasting, communication, and control. He appreciated NIVEDI’s scientific excellence and underscored the need to align its initiatives with national programs for greater synergy and impact.
Dr. Gulati expressed gratitude and reaffirmed NIVEDI’s commitment to integrating its NADRES platform with NDLM under the proposed National Animal Disease Information and Control Centre (NADICC). He added that DAHD’s approval of the NADICC proposal would significantly enhance India’s capacity for data-driven livestock disease intelligence.
Smt. Varsha Joshi, Additional Secretary, DAHD, lauded NIVEDI’s scientific leadership and stressed that the NADICC infrastructure should be supported through the DAHD-an initiative she has been advancing with NIVEDI for the past few years to bolster national preparedness. The visit was also attended by Dr. Mahesh P. S., Director, CEAH, Dr. S. K. Dutta, Joint Commissioner, DAHD, and other senior officials. The program was coordinated by Dr. S. S. Patil, and the vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Rajeswari Shome, marking a successful visit that reinforced collaboration for evidence-based livestock health and productivity.
