SHRI HALARNKAR INAUGURATED MISSION RABIES MODEL VILLAGE PROJECT
Panaji: March 24, 2026
Minister of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Shri. Nilkanth Halarnkar inaugurated The Mission Rabies Model Village Project at the Model village Colvale, Barder recently.
Mission rabies model village project is designed to demonstrate a replicable, community-led, humane, and scientific approach to rabies prevention and animal welfare. By transforming selected villages into rabies-safe, animal-friendly communities, the project aims to create scalable models for wider adoption across Goa and beyond.
Rabies continues to be a preventable yet fatal zoonotic disease. Sustainable rabies control requires community ownership, humane dog population management, and long-term behavioural change. Goa is now maintained as almost a Rabies free state, even though the Border States are very highly endemic.
Two villages namely Colvale Panchayat in North Goa and Velim Panchayat in South Goa are now taken up for model village project, where Mission Rabies and Directorate of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary services in collaboration with Goa Institute of Management shall conduct a door to door survey followed by Vaccination of Dogs, Sterilization of Dogs, Rabies Surveillance, Education of Children and community on dog bite management, Health care of dogs.
Period of the project is March 23, 2026 to April 05, 2026- Door to door survey and education followed by Vaccination, Education, Dog Sterilization, Surveillance until March 31, 2029.
Expected Outcomes are; Rabies-free, safe dog population, Humane and controlled dog population through sustained sterilization, Reduced human-animal conflict and improved coexistence, Healthier, happier dogs with a significant reduction in dog bite incidents, Educated children and community members who understand and respect dogs, Increased responsible pet ownership, Replication-ready model villages that inspire other Panchayats and Contribution towards making Goa a model state for rabies control and animal welfare.
DI/INF/AXP/SAG/PD/SM/2026/1345