NEW DELHI: Delhi Development Minister Kapil Mishra, long known for headline-grabbing announcements, has declared that one million stray dogs will be microchipped in the next two years with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Framed as a measure to strengthen rabies control and dog population management, the largely cosmetic plan has already drawn skepticism from experts, who question both its feasibility and its impact on public health.
On paper, microchipping has appeal. In many countries where pet microchipping is backed by mandatory registration and veterinary databases, the system helps reunite lost pets with owners and enforce vaccination laws. But in Delhi, where vaccination and sterilization laws are yet to be properly enforced, experts say the government’s priority should not be on microchipping.
“Dog bites happen in real time — no one is going to scan a chip afterwards,” says Vandana Anchalia, founder of the Kannan Animal Welfare Foundation. She argues that while sterilisation and vaccination save lives, microchipping drains funds without impact. “On its own, it doesn’t change street dog numbers, rabies incidence, or bite cases.”
Delhi recorded nearly 187 dog bite cases a day last year. Experts argue that with limited resources, government funds are better spent on mass vaccination and sterilisation programmes. Independent rescuers pointed out that sterilised dogs are already visibly marked with snipped ears, making microchips redundant.
Logistics are another concern. Delhi is estimated to have a stray dog population running into lakhs, and catching, chipping, and monitoring each animal would require an enormous, coordinated infrastructure that currently doesn’t exist.
As a policy, India still does not have a functional national pet registry or stray microchip system, unlike many European countries which mandate microchipping and registration of household pets in a central database. “These systems work well there because they are backed by strict regulations, enforcement, and integration with veterinary records. In India, without this ecosystem, the programme risks collapsing into a paper exercise,” warns Anchalia.
For now, the government has not clarified how the program will be rolled out. Until then, experts fear the scheme may join a long list of flashy announcements — bold on paper, toothless
on the ground.