The first State and Union Territory Engagement Workshop under NOHM concluded successfully on 9th June 2025, charting a collaborative path forward for strengthening India's integrated One Health approach. Chaired by Prof. Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, the workshop brought together a diverse array of stakeholders, including state government officials, representatives of all the stakeholder departments, and other agencies.

The workshop commenced with opening remarks from Prof. Ajay Sood, setting the vision for the workshop. He emphasised the pivotal role state governments play in advancing the mission's objectives. Ms. Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, commended the initiative and stressed the need to align and leverage relevant resources to strengthen the state infrastructure. Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research & Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, underscored the critical importance of multi-sectoral engagement in tackling complex One Health challenges, the importance of syndromic surveillance and mock drills like the Vishanu Yuddh Abhyaas that tests the preparedness of rapid response teams and intersectoral coordination in the face of disease outbreaks. Dr. Sindura Ganapathi, PSA fellow, presented a brief overview of the mission’s objectives and governance mechanism.

Representatives from the states of Gujarat and Kerala, nominated for the mission’s governance committees (on a rotation basis), showcased their respective states' One Health activities, including governance, institutional mechanisms, surveillance progress and others.

During the inaugural session, PSA launched the Youth Engagement Program for One Health mission. This program is an initiative to actively engage with the youth of the nation through existing national platforms and state machinery to leverage their involvement in the mission. Additionally, a dashboard on One Health initiatives by states, central ministry/departments and multilaterals was launched and is accessible through the Office of PSA website (https://www.psa.gov.in/oneHealthDashboard). This dashboard is in development and currently hosts the various initiatives by the respective agencies.

The activities of the workshop were bifurcated into two major sessions wherein participants engaged in productive discussions across four vital themes integral to the mission viz. Governance & Policy (Chaired by Dr Renu Swarup), Surveillance Systems (Chaired by Dr N. K. Arora), Outbreak Investigation & Response (Chaired by Lt. Gen Dr Madhuri Kanitkar) and Capacity Building & Data Sharing (Chaired by Prof. Vijay Chandru). A planning session with states for One Health implementation was also chaired by Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of PSA. These sessions aimed to identify synergies, address existing challenges, and formulate actionable strategies for a more resilient and integrated approach to human, animal and environmental health across the states. Prof. Sood as a way forward called on all the states/UT’s to consider creating their own One Health dashboards and websites and link it with the central dashboard/website. He further said that there should be focus on capacity building and courses/modules can be developed on platform like iGoT Karmyogi for One Health. He also empathized on the need of data standardisation, youth participation through One Health hackathons.

National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) presented on the overarching programs in surveillance and collaborations with other agencies that strengthen the One Health approach in India. The workshop concluded with a simulation exercise on a disease outbreak situation. The activity was coordinated with NCDC, National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS), Army Medical Corps (AMC), Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) and National Institute of Virology (NIV). Each group discussed on the presented outbreak scenario and came up with their directions for containment, management and response using the One Health approach.

During the workshop, a poster session was organised wherein states/UTs, knowledge partners and multilateral organisations showcased the One Health initiatives they have undertaken. The workshop saw participation from representatives from stakeholder ministries/ departments. The event witnessed the participation from around 28 state/UTs, other knowledge partners like multilaterals and academic institutes.

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MJPS/ST

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