The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory advisory body on animal welfare. It was set up in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. It comes under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Its mandate is to prevent unnecessary pain or suffering to animals, as the Act provides. Rukmini Devi Arundale helped set up the Board and was its first chair. Its headquarters moved from Chennai to Ballabhgarh, in Faridabad district of Haryana, in 2018.
What the Board does
- Keeps the law on cruelty to animals under study and advises the government on changes to it, and on rules under the Act, especially for animals being transported, performing animals and animals kept in captivity.
- Advises on the design of vehicles, to lessen the burden on draught animals, and on slaughterhouses, so that unnecessary pain or suffering is avoided.
- Encourages shelters, rescue homes, sanctuaries and pinjrapoles, and gives financial and other help to animal welfare organisations and animal hospitals.
- Coordinates the work of animal welfare organisations.
- Promotes the humane treatment of animals through education, and advises the government on any animal welfare matter.
For the laws the Board works under, read animal welfare laws in India, in plain words.
Recognition of animal welfare organisations and gaushalas
The Board recognises animal welfare organisations (AWOs). An organisation applies with its registration certificate under the Societies Registration Act or a Trust Act, its audited accounts and annual reports for the last three years, two copies of its memorandum of association or bye-laws, and a report of its animal welfare work. Board members or authorised agencies then inspect it. If the inspection report is satisfactory, the organisation is considered for recognition.
Recognised organisations must renew their recognition every five years, only through the Board’s online portal. A recognition more than five years old that has not been renewed is treated as invalid. Gaushalas with less than 10% milking animals do not pay the ₹5,000 renewal fee if they submit an undertaking in the prescribed format. On the Board gave a final opportunity to renew.
The Board publishes a list of recognised organisations, and a list of de-recognised, blacklisted or suspended ones, on its website. Find animal welfare organisations and gaushalas near you in the Directory.
Community dogs
The Board issued Standard Operating Procedures on community dogs on . On it issued a circular asking for strict compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions in the stray dogs case, those procedures and the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. Read the circular in the Library, or read what the ABC Rules 2023 say about community dogs.
Misuse of the Board’s name
On the Board issued a public notice warning that its name and authority were being misused.
Contact
| For | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 42 Milestone, Delhi-Agra Highway, NH-2, Village Seekri, Ballabhgarh, Faridabad, Haryana 121004 |
| Phone | 0129-2555700 |
| support@awbi.gov.in | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM; closed on weekends and government holidays |
Questions and answers
What is the Animal Welfare Board of India?
A statutory advisory body on animal welfare, set up in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. It comes under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Where is the Animal Welfare Board of India?
At 42 Milestone, Delhi-Agra Highway, NH-2, Village Seekri, Ballabhgarh, Faridabad, Haryana 121004. Its headquarters moved there from Chennai in 2018.
How does an organisation get AWBI recognition?
It applies with its registration certificate, audited accounts and annual reports for the last three years, its memorandum or bye-laws and a report of its animal welfare work. Board members or authorised agencies inspect it, and a satisfactory report leads to consideration for recognition.
How often must AWBI recognition be renewed?
Every five years, only through the Board’s online portal. A recognition more than five years old that has not been renewed is treated as invalid.
What is the AWBI phone number?
0129-2555700, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
- AWBI: Mandate and Functions (read )
- AWBI: Recognition (with address, phone and hours) (read )
- Wikipedia: Animal Welfare Board of India (read ; 1962, Section 4, first chair, move to Ballabhgarh in 2018)
- The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (our Library)
- AWBI: Renewal of Recognition, final opportunity () (our Library)
- AWBI: Public notice on misuse of its name () (our Library)
- AWBI: circular of on compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions, the SOPs of and the ABC Rules, 2023 (our Library)
