Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant has called for coordinated efforts by government departments, local bodies, veterinary services, schools and animal welfare organisations to make the state completely rabies-free, building on Goa’s achievement of being declared a rabies-controlled state in 2021.
Speaking at a World Rabies Day programme at the Goa Science Centre, Sawant highlighted the theme “Stronger Together” and said sustained collaboration would be crucial to achieving the next stage of rabies elimination in Goa in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
The Chief Minister credited Mission Rabies and partner animal welfare organisations for their sustained work in Goa over the past 12 years. Recalling the early days of the initiative, Sawant said the programme had started with limited government support and international collaboration, alongside sterilisation and vaccination campaigns.
He said Goa had moved away from the earlier practice of dog culling towards a more humane approach involving the capture, sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs.
Emphasising the seriousness of rabies, Sawant said the disease is fatal once clinical symptoms develop and stressed that prevention through vaccination remains critical.
He urged pet owners to ensure that their animals are vaccinated on time, kept on leashes and never abandoned on roads, beaches or other public spaces. He also raised concerns over increasing groups of stray dogs gathering along beach belts and tourist areas, particularly around shack zones, calling for coordinated measures to manage the issue.
Sawant also highlighted steps being taken to strengthen Goa’s veterinary infrastructure. He said around 25,000 square metres of land has been allocated at Usgao for veterinary facilities, while Goa’s first veterinary college has been launched at Quepem/Curti to provide professional training to students within the state.
The Chief Minister said the fight against rabies cannot be handled by a single department and requires sustained coordination between the Education and Health departments, veterinary authorities, NGOs and local bodies.
He also pointed to the role of schoolchildren in spreading awareness, recalling the rabies awareness rally held in the city earlier in the day.
Sawant said the collective objective should now be to move from controlling rabies to achieving a completely rabies-free Goa, with sustained vaccination, sterilisation, responsible pet ownership and public awareness forming the foundation of that effort.
