Two-Day National Tabletop Exercise VAJRA-SAT on FMD SAT-1 Preparedness Ends in Bengaluru

Key facts

• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), with ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Bengaluru, organised the two-day National Tabletop Exercise 'VAJRA-SAT' on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) serotype SAT-1 preparedness on 4–5 November 2026 under the theme 'Detect Early, Confirm Fast, Contain Together'.
• FMD serotype SAT-1 has never been reported in India; the exercise was a proactive preparedness step given its spread beyond Africa to parts of West Asia.
• The exercise brought together 83 participants from 25 States, three Union Territories and key national institutions, including State Animal Husbandry Departments, ICAR institutions, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, veterinary universities, vaccine manufacturers, and defence and border guarding agencies.
• The exercise was inaugurated on 4 November by Dr. Naveena B.M., Animal Husbandry Commissioner, DAHD, and the concluding session on 5 November was chaired by Shri Rama Shankar Sinha, Additional Secretary (Livestock Health), DAHD.
• A separate technical meeting on FMD-free compartmentalisation of semen production centres and semen banks was held on 5 November 2026 to safeguard livestock genetic resources and facilitate safe livestock trade.