BBMP says decision to feed street dogs taken after evaluating pros and cons
Bengaluru, Jul 13 (PTI): Sharing details of its Rs 2.88 crore plan to feed about 4,000 street dogs in the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Sunday clarified that it has invited a tender in this regard after reviewing the pros and cons of the initiative.
It said the project cost involves setting up 100 feeding locations per zone, providing one meal a day to 500 dogs per zone for 365 days a year. The per-dog daily cost is Rs 19 (excluding taxes).
This includes Rs 8 for daily transport, food distribution, and cleaning at the feeding sites, and Rs 11 for the cost of food itself, according to a clarification issued by BBMP Special Commissioner of the Animal Husbandry Department, Suralkar Vikas Kishor.
Stating that the BBMP’s feeding programme is aligned with the revised Animal Birth Control (ABC) guidelines issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India, it said that as dogs are carnivorous, the meals will be nutritionally balanced, consisting of boiled chicken (for protein), rice, and vegetables.
This combination is designed to be suitable and easily digestible for street dogs. The tender document only lists the nutritional components of the meal, and the term "biryani" does not appear anywhere, it clarified.
The food will be appropriate, nutritionally balanced, and based on veterinary advice, drawing from the pilot project implemented last year.
The civic body cited wide public discussion and analysis on this matter in the media and on social media in its clarification.
Noting that BBMP initiated feeding of street dogs during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that food was also provided to a specific number of dogs last year as a continuation of that effort, it said that this year’s initiative is an improvement based on lessons learned and is also a statutory requirement as per the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, notified by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).
BBMP has invited tenders for the supply of balanced meals to be served at designated feeding points across each zone, identified and monitored by the respective Assistant Directors, it said.
The initiative offers several benefits, BBMP said. Catching feral dogs is a major challenge, and in certain areas, food scarcity forces dogs to form aggressive packs, increasing the likelihood of dog bites. The feeding programme is aimed at addressing such issues.
Feeding makes it easier to catch the dogs for sterilisation and vaccination. This, in turn, boosts the effectiveness of animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination campaigns, it said.
Designated feeding spots help reduce pack behaviour and food-related aggression.
"A mass vaccination drive is already underway. Balanced nutrition will improve the overall health of dogs, which reduces the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. This initiative is part of the broader public health effort under the animal health programme to control rabies," it added.
BBMP pointed out that out of the estimated 2.7 lakh street dogs in the city, only about 4,000—those most vulnerable due to lack of access to food—have been targeted under this initiative.
When implemented at the ward level with identified feeding spots, this can create a significant local impact, it said. Approximately 70 per cent of BBMP wards have already achieved sterilisation targets. However, certain wards still face challenges in catching dogs or reducing bite incidents.
"Focused feeding is being implemented in such areas to bring about improvement. BBMP continues to prioritise its animal birth control programme across the city. In other areas, dog feeding is already being actively managed by volunteer animal lovers and NGOs," it added.
Stating that BBMP will continue monitoring the effectiveness of this initiative in terms of sterilisation, vaccination coverage, and reduction in dog bite cases, BBMP said that based on a comprehensive review at the end of the year, decisions will be made regarding the programme’s continuation or future modifications.
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
