Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH&DC)

What is the Livestock Health and Disease Control programme?

Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH&DC) is a Centrally Sponsored programme of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. LH&DC improves the animal health sector by controlling economically important, zoonotic, exotic and emergent diseases through vaccination, disease surveillance, capacity building and stronger veterinary infrastructure.

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, LH&DC funds States and Union Territories to run these activities. Individual farmers do not apply for the scheme; they benefit from free vaccination, surveillance and doorstep veterinary services delivered by the state veterinary system.

Main components

• Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases (ASCAD), vaccine procurement and vaccination against prevailing livestock and poultry diseases, training of veterinarians and para-vets, laboratory strengthening, ring vaccination during outbreaks, and compensation to farmers for culling.
• Critical Animal Disease Control Programme (CADCP), control and eradication of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in sheep and goats, and control of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in pigs.
• Establishment and Strengthening of Veterinary Hospitals and Dispensaries, Mobile Veterinary Units (ESVHD-MVU), doorstep veterinary services through mobile units.

The programme carries a large multi-year outlay (reported at around Rs 3,880 crore in the 2025 Cabinet approval) and is distinct from the National Livestock Mission, which focuses on breed development and entrepreneurship.

Who is eligible for LH&DC?

Eligible to receive assistance:

• State Governments and Union Territory administrations, which implement vaccination, surveillance and veterinary services with central funds.

Farmers benefit but do not apply:

• Livestock and poultry owners receive free vaccination, disease control and mobile veterinary care through the state system.

You cannot apply if:

• You are an individual expecting a cash grant; LH&DC provides services and vaccination, not a personal payout, so individuals cannot apply for money. The exception is ASCAD compensation for culling during notified outbreaks, which the state disburses, not a benefit you file for in advance.

What documents are required?

LH&DC has no citizen application form. Farmers access services through state vaccination camps and veterinary units.

How to apply for LH&DC (the institutional route)

There is no individual application. The route runs through the state:

1. The State/UT prepares an annual action plan for vaccination, disease surveillance and veterinary services under ASCAD, CADCP and ESVHD-MVU.
2. DAHD approves the plan and releases central funds to the state under the Centrally Sponsored pattern.
3. The state procures vaccines and conducts vaccination drives, runs mobile veterinary units, and strengthens laboratories.
4. Farmers avail free vaccination and doorstep veterinary care through these drives and units; during outbreaks, ring vaccination and culling compensation are provided.

If you keep livestock, the practical step is to contact your local veterinary hospital or dispensary, or call the mobile veterinary unit helpline 1962 where it operates, rather than applying to any central portal.

How much benefit does LH&DC provide?

LH&DC delivers free vaccination and veterinary services rather than a cash amount. The value to a farmer is protection of livestock against costly diseases such as foot-and-mouth-related conditions, PPR and CSF, plus doorstep care. In specific outbreak situations, ASCAD provides compensation for culled birds, eliminated infected animals and destroyed feed or eggs, disbursed by the state. Because the assistance is Centrally Sponsored and routed through states, there is no fixed per-person figure.

Which diseases and services does LH&DC prioritise?

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, LH&DC prioritises vaccination against economically important diseases of livestock and backyard poultry, and gives special attention to zoonotic diseases such as anthrax and rabies, which pass from animals to humans. The CADCP component targets Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in sheep and goats and Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in pigs. During an outbreak, the state can carry out ring vaccination to stop the spread, and ASCAD funds compensation for culled poultry, eliminated infected animals and destroyed feed or eggs.

The ESVHD-MVU component funds mobile veterinary units that bring treatment, minor surgery and vaccination to the farmer's doorstep, typically reachable on the toll-free number 1962 where a state has rolled the service out. LH&DC also strengthens veterinary laboratories and trains veterinarians, para-veterinarians and laboratory staff so that surveillance and diagnosis improve over time. This animal-health work sits alongside, but is separate from, the National Animal Disease Control Programme for foot-and-mouth disease and brucellosis.

Help and more information

• LH&DC programme page (DAHD): dahd.gov.in
• Local veterinary hospital or dispensary of your state animal husbandry department.
• Mobile veterinary unit helpline 1962, where operational.

How to check your application status

Because LH&DC is not a portal-based scheme, there is no online status-tracking dashboard for an individual farmer. Status checks work through the same offline channels used to apply:

• For vaccination or veterinary service requests: call back the mobile veterinary unit helpline 1962, where operational, and ask about the schedule for your area, or visit the local veterinary hospital in person.
• For an ASCAD culling-compensation claim: follow up directly with the block or district animal husbandry office where the claim was filed; carry the inspection record or claim receipt given at the time of culling, since there is no claim-tracking number issued centrally.
• For a state's central funding release: this is tracked between the state animal husbandry department and DAHD, and is not something an individual farmer can check; a farmer only sees its effect through vaccination camps and mobile units becoming active locally.
• If a promised vaccination drive or mobile unit visit does not materialise, the appropriate escalation is to the district animal husbandry officer, since LH&DC has no central grievance portal dedicated to the scheme.

Common reasons for rejection

LH&DC does not reject "applications" in the usual sense since most farmers do not file one, but real claims and requests do get turned down for specific reasons:

• Culling compensation claimed without a veterinary order. If animals, birds or eggs were destroyed or sold off before the veterinary department inspected and authorised culling, the loss falls outside ASCAD's compensation rules. Fix: always report suspected outbreak symptoms first and let the department inspect and order culling before disposing of anything.
• Death or loss not linked to a notified outbreak. Compensation under ASCAD is tied to specific, notified disease-control operations (such as declared PPR, CSF or avian influenza containment), not to routine livestock mortality or disease. Fix: for non-outbreak losses, there is no LH&DC compensation route; consider livestock insurance instead.
• Missing or incomplete inspection record. Since there is no standard online claim form, compensation depends heavily on the paperwork the veterinary team creates at the time of culling. A claim with no count, valuation or signed inspection record from that visit is commonly rejected or delayed. Fix: insist that the veterinary officer records numbers and estimated value on the spot, and keep a copy.
• Claim filed to the wrong office or after a long delay. Because processing is fully state-level and offline, claims sent to a central DAHD address, or filed long after the outbreak operation with no contemporaneous record, are often not entertained. Fix: file with the local block or district animal husbandry office promptly, while the department's own outbreak records are still active.
• Private or unregistered farms outside the state's coverage area. If a farm sits outside the districts or radius a state has planned vaccination or mobile unit coverage for that year, service requests may simply go unserved rather than formally "rejected." Fix: check with the district office whether your area is in the current year's action plan, and press for inclusion in the next cycle if not.