The Fifth Meeting of the Scientific Steering Committee on One Health was held on 18^th May 2026 at Kartavya Bhavan 3, New Delhi under the chairmanship of Prof. Ajay K. Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health (DHR) and DG Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of PSA (OPSA); Dr M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES);  Dr. Ranjan Das, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); senior representatives from ICMR; Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC); Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD); Department of Biotechnology (DBT); Department of Science & Technology (DST); Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO); National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS); MoES, Ministry of Ayush; NCDC; National Institute for One Health (NIOH); Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP); OPSA, and Gujarat state representatives.

At the outset, the Chair appreciated the continued commitment and active participation of all stakeholder Ministries and Departments in advancing the One Health approach and underscored the growing importance of strengthened inter-sectoral coordination in light of recent outbreaks and emerging public health threats.

Deliberations during the meeting focused on strengthening national preparedness against emerging public health threats, particularly zoonotic diseases and climate-sensitive health challenges, through enhanced inter-sectoral coordination and long-term planning.

Over the past year, the National One Health Mission has achieved several important milestones, including the development of the Model Governance Framework to strengthen One Health governance mechanisms in States and Union Territories, initiation of genomics and metagenomics-based surveillance networks for improved detection of emerging health threats, launch of surveillance initiatives at the human-animal-environment interface including in zoos, bird sanctuaries, and slaughterhouses, and promotion of public awareness and youth engagement through initiatives such as the National One Health Assembly.

During the meeting, a video on the Model Governance Framework for strengthening One Health governance in States and Union Territories was released, highlighting pathways for institutional coordination and decentralized implementation of One Health across the country. The video can be accessed on

The Committee also released the proceedings of the National One Health Assembly held in November 2025, as well as the proceedings of the Workshop on Operational Frameworks for One Health: National Vision and State Action held at Nagpur, Maharashtra, 17^th – 18^th March 2026, which brought together States, Union Territories, and key stakeholders to discuss governance structures and operational mechanisms for implementing One Health at the state level.

The meeting further discussed activities and interventions that may be undertaken by stakeholder Ministries and Departments, and how these may be integrated into annual work plans and budgetary processes. Discussions covered short-, medium-, and long-term One Health priorities, with emphasis on integrated surveillance, laboratory strengthening, AI-enabled pathogen detection, cross-sectoral data sharing, and development of medical countermeasures.

Updates were also presented by the Chairs and Member Secretaries of key work streams under the Advisory and Review Committees, including BSL-3/4 Laboratories chaired by Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, Technology-Enhanced Surveillance chaired by Dr. N.K. Arora, Data integration and data sharing committee chaired by Dr. Vijay Chandru and Medical Countermeasures chaired by Dr Renu Swarup and presented by Dr. Nivedita Gupta, ICMR.

In his concluding remarks, Prof. Sood underscored the need to translate agreed frameworks into measurable and sustained action on the ground, emphasizing the importance of regular mock drills, strengthened preparedness mechanisms, and timely identification of funding requirements to support implementation. He also encouraged all stakeholder Ministries and Departments to consciously document and highlight activities under the National One Health Mission, while continuing collaborative and constructive efforts to advance the Mission’s objectives.

 

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