The Fifth Meeting of the Scientific Steering Committee on the National One Health Mission was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay K. Sood. The meeting focused on strengthening national preparedness against emerging public health threats, specifically prioritizing zoonotic outbreaks and climate-sensitive health challenges. A primary outcome was the official endorsement of the Model Governance Framework designed to institutionalize decentralized One Health mechanisms across States and Union Territories. This institutional push aims to transition theoretical health frameworks into operational, ground-level responses through structured budgetary planning and cross-ministerial collaborations.
Institutional Framework of the National One Health Mission
The National One Health Mission operates through a distinct multi-tiered administrative structure to coordinate policies across sectors.
Two-Tier Governance Structure
- Executive Steering Committee: This is the apex body that provides overall policy guidance and strategic direction. It is chaired by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, with the Principal Scientific Adviser serving as the Vice Chair. Permanent invitees include the Member (Health) of NITI Aayog alongside Secretaries of stakeholder departments.
- Scientific Steering Committee: This committee provides the scientific direction, technical oversight, and evidence-based guidance to the mission. It is chaired directly by the Principal Scientific Adviser and comprises Secretaries or Directors General of all participating departments.
Core Stakeholder Architecture
The mission acts as a single-window collaborative matrix uniting several crucial ministries and research councils:
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD).
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
- Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
- Department of Agricultural Research and Education-Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
Key Highlights and Strategic Interventions
The fifth steering committee outlined actionable protocols across long-term and short-term health targets.
Release of the Model Governance Framework
The committee unveiled the Model Governance Framework for States and Union Territories to address the decentralized nature of health delivery in India. This framework establishes pathways for institutional coordination from state capitals down to districts and local self-governments, including panchayats and municipalities. It facilitates the integration of One Health interventions into regular annual work plans and local budgetary processes.
Technological Transformation in Surveillance
The mission initiated genomics and metagenomics-based surveillance networks to ensure early detection of novel pathogens. Focus areas include deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled tools for real-time pathogen identification across human, animal, and environmental interfaces. The committee reviewed the progress of the technology-enhanced surveillance stream to streamline cross-sectoral data integration.
Expansion of Laboratory Infrastructure
A dedicated work stream manages the geographic distribution and integration of Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) and Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratories. Currently, 22 labs are integrated into this specialized network. This network provides open access to human, livestock, and wildlife sectors for rapid diagnostic analysis during active disease outbreaks.
Structural Pillars and Core Committees
The technical operations of the mission are managed through targeted advisory and review sub-committees.
| Committee / Work Stream | Leadership | Primary Operational Mandate |
| BSL-3/BSL-4 Laboratories Network | Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar | Infrastructure scaling, safety audits, and cross-species diagnostic access. |
| Technology-Enhanced Surveillance | Dr. N.K. Arora | Developing early warning systems and AI-based tracking dashboards. |
| Data Integration and Sharing | Dr. Vijay Chandru | Creating legal and technical protocols for secure inter-departmental data flow. |
| Medical Countermeasures | Dr. Renu Swarup & Dr. Nivedita Gupta | R&D acceleration for vaccines, therapeutic drugs, and novel diagnostics. |
IASPOINT Booster Facts for UPSC
- Nodal Implementing Office: The National One Health Mission is coordinated and implemented under the direct supervision of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India.
- National Anchor Institution: The National Institute for One Health (NIOH), located in Nagpur, Maharashtra, serves as the apex body to anchor and operationalize all field research and diagnostic coordination under the mission.
- The Quadripartite Alliance: At the global level, One Health is guided by an alliance of four organizations: the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- Zoonotic Disease Burden: Around 60% of known infectious diseases in humans and roughly 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they originate in animals.
- Metagenomics vs Genomics: Traditional genomics sequences the DNA of a specific, isolated organism. Metagenomics allows scientists to sequence genetic material directly from an environmental sample containing multiple unknown organisms, enabling immediate detection of novel hidden pathogens.