The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC)'s Cattle Nuisance Control Department (CNCD) has achieved approximately 89 per cent sterilisation coverage of stray dogs under its Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, officials confirmed on 2 June 2026. The city is simultaneously running large-scale anti-rabies vaccination, RFID microchipping, and a newly launched scientific dog census — all aligned with India's National Action Plan for Rabies Elimination (NAPRE-2030), which targets zero rabies deaths by 2030.

Scale of the Sterilisation Drive

Over the past seven years, AMC has sterilised approximately 1,88,828 stray dogs at a total expenditure of roughly ₹18.11 crore, according to AMC data. The programme, which commenced in 2019-20, has recorded 7,571 anti-rabies vaccinations in the current year alone, up to 31 May 2026. A 2019 estimate placed Ahmedabad's stray dog population at around 2.10 lakh, a figure officials say the city continues to manage through sustained sterilisation and vaccination cycles.

Officials noted a visible impact on the ground: localities that earlier had groups of six to seven stray dogs have seen numbers reduce to two or three, attributed in part to the decline in puppy births following sterilisation.

Microchipping: A Digital Aadhaar for Stray Dogs

CNCD Head of Department Naresh Rajput described the RFID microchipping system as 'one kind of Aadhaar for cattle,' now extended to stray dogs to maintain life-cycle medical records. Each chip carries a 12-digit identification number readable through scanners, storing sterilisation and vaccination history and flagging when annual rabies booster doses are due.

Rajput said, 'If we vaccinate a dog, how will we know when the next dose is due? The microchip stores all data like the Aadhaar or PAN number.'

AMC has procured 15,000 microchips this year at a cost of approximately ₹50.53 lakh, sourced through authorised Indian distributors of a France-based company and certified by ICAR-related animal research bodies. As of the latest data, 5,390 dogs have already been tagged across seven zones — Central, North, South, East, West, North-West, and South-West.

Scientific Census Across 48 Wards

AMC launched a scientific dog census in April 2026, covering all 48 wards using an app-based system with geo-tagging and live monitoring. The Behrampura ward has been fully completed, recording 4,906 stray dogs — including 3,019 sterilised males, 1,467 sterilised females, 224 unsterilised males, 105 unsterilised females, 63 puppies, 23 lactating females, and five dogs marked unknown due to field identification difficulties.

Unsterilised dogs flagged through the app are immediately prioritised for capture and sterilisation, Rajput said. The full census, which includes GPS-tagged photography, ward-wise mapping, and real-time database integration, is expected to be completed in phases with full reporting anticipated by March 2027.

Pet Dog Registration and Awareness Outreach

Ahmedabad has recorded 19,535 pet dog registrations under AMC-led enforcement, a figure Rajput contrasted with comparable drives in cities like Mumbai, which reportedly have not crossed 500–1,000 registrations in similar contexts. This comes amid broader awareness campaigns covering approximately 1,050 institutions — including schools, colleges, health facilities, sports complexes, bus depots, and railway stations — under the city's Information, Education and Communication (IEC) initiative.

The programme also encompasses dog bite case management, identification of feeding spots, infrastructure expansion, and capacity building, positioning Ahmedabad as one of the more comprehensively structured urban rabies control models in India. With the census set to conclude by early 2027, the city's next challenge is sustaining annual vaccination cycles over a typical dog lifespan of 12–15 years.