Joint Commissioner (H&S), JMC, Kulbhushan Khajuria graced the event as the chief guest. Other dignitaries including Principal Government Girls Higher Secndary School, Rehari, Jammu, Jyoti Prakash Sharma, Vice Principal, Pooja Rani, Health Officer JMC, Dr. Vinod Kumar Sharma, MVO, JMC Dr. Divya Sharma, other officials of MVO section, JMC and faculty members of the school were also present.
MVO, JMC, Dr. Divya Sharma introduced the faculty and students about the Animal Birth Control Program & its progress in Jammu. Out of about 43,000 stray dog population in Jammu city, approximately 36000 have already been sterilized & vaccinated under the ABC programme being run by JMC, the MVO added. She laid emphasis on the fact that as per ABC (Dog) Rules, 2023, stray dogs are not being dislocated from one locality to other, and they are only being captured for sterilization & vaccination and are released back in the same area with a permanent identification mark i.e. “Right Ear-notch”.
Dr. Divya Sharma also gave a powerpoint presentation on implementation, objectives, various Animal Welfare activities & success of ABC/ARV programme run by Jammu Municipal Corporation in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2023 within JMC limits. She also demonstrated how the stray dog population can be controlled in a time bound manner via effective ABC programme implementation that will also curb the spread of rabies both in humans as well as animals.
Earlier, Health Officer, JMC Dr. Vinod Kumar Sharma further guided the faculty & students about rabies prevention, control and immediate steps to be taken in case of dog bite.
Joint Commissioner (H&S) JMC, in his address, appreciated the role of Veterinary services wing of JMC for organizing such type of mass awareness extension programs in educational institutions of Jammu city as it envisages propagating the awareness up to the grassroots level which is very important for the successful implementation of ABC program within JMC limits. He thanked the Principal and faculty members of School for their support in organizing such awareness programs for the students. He further requested the general public/ Resident Welfare Associations/ AWOs/ Local animal activists for their cooperation to effectively implement the ABC/ ARV programme in Jammu city. He also advised the Veterinary wing to organize such kind of awareness cum interaction programs with students in future also.
Principal of the School presented his perspective about the ABC/ARV programme being implemented by JMC to control the menace of stray dogs in Jammu city and its importance to curb the spread of rabies in both human as well as animal population. He also extended his gratitude towards the JMC authorities for organizing such an extensive & informative session on ABC/ARV programme for students of his school.