Pune Municipal Corporation Launches Microchipping Drive For Over 600 Stray Dogs To Support Rabies-Free City Mission
Pune Municipal Corporation Launches Microchipping Drive For Over 600 Stray Dogs To Support Rabies-Free City Mission
Pune, October 17, 2025: In line with the Government of India’s goal to make the country rabies-free by 2030, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has approved a large-scale vaccination and microchipping campaign for stray dogs across the city. The initiative, sanctioned by the Municipal Commissioner and the Standing Committee resolution dated March 20, 2025, aims to strengthen monitoring and control of stray dog populations while ensuring systematic tracking of their health and vaccination records.
As part of the pilot phase, 600 stray dogs within PMC limits will be fitted with microchips—provided free of cost by a private company—to test the efficiency of the system. The Veterinary Department will begin the process next week, implanting microchips in dogs undergoing sterilization surgery. The microchips, roughly the size of a rice grain, will be injected into the dogs’ shoulder area using RFID technology.
Each microchip carries a unique 15-digit identification number, enabling officials to record and access detailed information such as the dog’s age, color, vaccination history, sterilization status, location, and rabies exposure. This data will be retrievable using a special scanner machine, similar to scanning an Aadhaar card.
The system, already in use in Delhi, Goa, Jaipur, and Bengaluru, will help PMC create an accurate database of stray animals within its jurisdiction and in the newly merged 32 villages. If successful, the pilot will expand citywide, making Pune the first municipal corporation in Maharashtra to implement such a program.
The project will be executed under the supervision of the Health Officer and Chief Veterinary Officer, in collaboration with the Universal Animal Welfare Society, with the overarching goal of achieving a rabies-free Pune through systematic sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination of stray dogs.
