21,95,122 dog bite cases and 37 deaths last year: Centre tells Lok Sabha
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New Delhi: Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh Alias Lalan Singh told Lok Sabha on Tuesday that about 22 lakh dog bites were reported in the country in 2024 between January and December.
Answering a question in the House, the minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said that there were 21,95,122 dog bite cases and 37 deaths last year, The Indian Express reported.
Of the total dog bite cases reported during the period, over 5 lakh victims were children less than 15 years of age.
Besides, the country saw 5,04,728 cases and 11 deaths from other animal bites including monkey bite cases last year, the minister pointed out.
Singh cited, according to The Indian Express, data from states and Union Territories on the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (Integrated Health Information Platform) portal under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
‘As per the data reported by States/UTs on the Integrated Health Information Platform portal under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, 519,704 dog bite cases involving children less than 15 years of age were reported across the country during Jan-Dec 2024,’ he was quoted as saying.
The minister made it clear that as the issue of stray animals falls under the State Governments, local bodies have to handle these incidents.
To a different question, Singh also told the House that the post of the Chairman in the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog has been vacant since February 2022.
‘No schemes have been implemented based on the recommendations of the RKA since 2019 and hence no expenditure,’ he was quoted as saying.