This article is written by Ramanuj Mukherjee, CEO, LawSikho.

Getting started

Despite being home to the headquarters of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) in Ballabgarh, Haryana, it is facing a serious animal welfare funding crisis. Things may look good on paper, but the ground reality is different. 

Among the 22 districts of the state, most of the Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs) are either not functional or do not even exist. This is a violation of the Supreme Court’s judgment, which was issued back in 2008 and later in 2015.             

We are forced to think now that if animal welfare is not a priority in Haryana, a state with fiscal strength and national significance, then what message is it sending about our collective responsibility of protecting animals? 

For over two decades, the mandated laws have not been put into effect 

India has one of the most detailed frameworks for animal welfare. The state government is required to fund and maintain the SPCAs as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and the Rules of 2001 mandate. Every state is required to set up district SPCAs within six months of the notification, as given under Rule 3, which Haryana has failed to follow for the last 23 years. The states must provide adequate land, infrastructure, a veterinary doctor and operational funding for each SPCA, as stated under Rule 4. 

But a recent PIL filed by the Sehjeevi trust showed that the state is still lagging in providing humane living conditions to animals. The Punjab and Haryana Court issued interim directives to the UT administration to provide clean water, adequate diet, medical facilities and ventilated space in an SPCA facility in Ripur Kalan, Chandigarh. This condition persisted even after the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) inspection in 2020.        

There have been several instances in which the Supreme Court has stepped in to reinforce these obligations. There was a landmark case of Geeta Seshmani vs. Union of India (2008) in which it was directed by the Court to constitute a State Animal Welfare Board within three months. Next was the case of Gauri Maulekhi vs. Union of India (2015), in which it was ordered to establish the district SPCAs within four weeks. 

This responsibility is echoed by the Constitution itself, through provisions on environmental and wildlife protection (Article 48A ), and compassion for animals (Article 51A(g)).   

What about the right to life? Do animals have this right?

Yes, they do. The Right to Life of Article 21 was extended to animals by the Apex Court in the case of Animal Welfare Board of India vs. A. Nagarjuna (2014), calling it the “Magna Carta of animal rights jurisprudence”.

Yet Haryana continues to lag. 

Haryana’s budget and animal welfare: where’s the money for SPCAs?

While the state proudly shows its expenditure on agriculture and allied activities, there is no specific funding for SPCAs. 

On paper, records show that there was an increase of 24% in the funding of agriculture and allied activities. It was ₹6052 crore in the previous year and ₹7525 crore in 2024-25. Sounds great, right? Under this budget, there was no separate budget for animal welfare. Because of no clear details, it is difficult to check how much of the fund, if any, is going for SPCAs, or if it is getting absorbed into broader veterinary and livestock services. 

At the national level, meanwhile, the AWBI offers six grant categories to SPCAs:

• Covering day-to-day operational expenses 
• Rescue cattle grants
• Grants for the shelter house
• Program funding for animal birth control
• Grants for ambulance
• Grants for natural calamity    

But what is the snag here? The SPACs need to be recognised by the AWBI to access these funds. This new recognition rule, which came in 2021, made the process so bureaucratic that not all SPCAs across the country have successfully managed to qualify. This keeps many SPCAs deprived of the financial support.

In its annual plan, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) list a scheme called “Grant-in-aid to societies for prevention of cruelty to animals”. Unfortunately, the disbursement figures remain a mystery. In the same way, the Zila Parishad’s district-level funding records are not available on how much has been used effectively.

What is the result? Just a system with different funding frameworks, but not transparency.   

Ground reality exposes critical infrastructure collapse

Acting on a petition filed by the MowgliAid Animal Welfare Society, the P&H High Court identified 15 districts where SPCAs were not established or were non-functional. This looks like a collapsed ground reality.     

Chandigarh’s SPCA handles overflow cases from surrounding regions. Between January to September 2021, a total of 6383 animal deaths were recorded as per RTI data. This is a stark reminder of what happens when the system fails.

For a fully functional SPCA, the estimated requirements are:

• For land acquisition, ₹1-5 crore.
• For infrastructure development, ₹2-3 crore.
• For operations, ₹50-75 lakhs annually 
• For vehicles and equipment, ₹15-25 lakhs   

The numbers get staggering when scaled up to 22 districts, for the initial setup, ₹100-176 crores and ₹11-16.5 crores annually to keep things running.    

The total estimated requirement for establishing functional SPCAs across all 22 districts stands at Rs 110-176 crore for initial setup plus Rs 11-16.5 crore annually for operations.

Multiple funding sources exist, but remain unutilized

No shortage of funding channels is there in Haryana for SPCAs. Yet no fund is directed by the Animal Husbandry Department, even after an increased budget. However, at the central level, the AWBI does provide grants under different categories, that too online. But the mandatory re-registration process of 2021 has made it difficult for the SPCAs to access it. 

Then there is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding. Animal welfare is explicitly recognised as eligible for CSR funding under Schedule VII of the Companies Act 2013. This also remains unexplored for the infrastructure of SPCAs, however.  

Hosting the headquarters of ABWI has also delivered no real benefit for district-level SPCAs.  

District administrations theoretically can allocate funds through local bodies, but coordination failures between the Animal Husbandry Department, Municipal Corporations, Police, and Urban Local Bodies prevent effective resource mobilisation.

Tamil Nadu emerges as the model while other states struggle

Tamil Nadu is leading the way when it comes to animal welfare funding. Through its ‘Vallalar Palluyir Kappagangal‘ scheme, Tamil Nadu is the first state in India that have a dedicated animal welfare budget, which is of ₹20 crore. 

Some five NGOs have received an amount of ₹88,05,000 under this scheme. This covers food, medical expenses, ambulances, infrastructure and Animal Birth Control surgeries. What stands out is that Tamil Nadu shows a political commitment with a clear, dedicated budget, transparent process and top leadership.    

Now, comparing this with other states with larger economies like Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra, there is no dedicated budget for animal welfare. In fact, when Gauri Maulekhi filed an RTI, it was revealed that not even a single state in India had a fully functioning animal welfare board in 2019. Also, it was only in November 2019 that Karnataka established its animal welfare board.

This systemic failure across states creates an opportunity for Haryana to lead by example, especially given its fiscal capacity and AWBI headquarters advantage.

Court interventions highlight systemic administrative failure

The judiciary has repeatedly intervened to address Haryana’s animal welfare failures. The Supreme Court’s 2008 order in Geeta Seshmani vs. Union of India gave states three months to establish State Animal Welfare Boards and district SPCAs – a deadline Haryana violated by 16 years. The 2015 order in Gauri Maulekhi vs. Union of India provided just four weeks for compliance, yet violations continue nine years later. In a fresh contempt contention in 2020, highlighted continued non-compliance across states.

In the landmark Karnail Singh vs. State of Haryana (2024) case, the High Court observed that “animal rights transcend a private settlement between human parties,” establishing judicial recognition of rights that administrative systems systematically violate.

Department structure exists, but lacks implementation capacity

Haryana’s Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, headquartered at Pashudhan Bhawan in Panchkula, oversees animal welfare through the State Animal Welfare Board established in April 2018. Grant application procedures exist through the Saral Haryana portal (saralharyana.gov.in), but SPCA funding applications face bottlenecks. 

The two-stage disbursement mechanism creates cash flow challenges, while extensive documentation requirements burden small organisations. Missing meeting records, insufficient staff allocation, and absent operational budgets characterise the State Animal Welfare Board’s dysfunction.

Why implementation keeps failing: seven big roadblocks

With existing funds on paper, there are seven biggest stumbling blocks that happen to make SPCAs run in the maze of challenges:

Bureaucratic delays 

This stems from AWBI’s 2021 re-registration mandate requiring dual certification. With this, there are processing delays of 4-6 months. 

Budget underutilization 

When allocated fund is not spent because of a procedural bottleneck, that is budget underutilization. 

Mismanagement and corruption 

The systematic corruption has repeatedly been flagged by the activists of Delhi-NCR. From illegal breeding rackets running at the Delhi-Haryana border to mysteriously recorded “zero deaths” sterilisation surgeries. 

Capacity gaps 

There is a lack of properly trained AWBI-recognised personnel. There is a lack of proper facilities as well.    

Lack of infrastructure 

The basic allocation of land is missing. Animal ambulance, sterilisation equipment and even autoclaves are insufficient. 

Failures of coordination 

Multiple agencies, like animal husbandry, municipal corporation, police and local bodies, have their own roles. But because of poor communication and overlapping jurisdiction, nothing moves smoothly.

Political apathy 

From directing the set-ups for feeding spots to nudging RWAs to form for welfare board, it often requires the High Court to step in and get the work done. 

Civil society fills gaps while highlighting needs

Looking at the successful models of animal welfare, what do we get? SPCAs of Haryana would not have to struggle the way they are struggling. Taking People for Animals (PFA) as an example, across the countries, with twenty-six hospitals, 165 units, and sixty mobile units, PFA has built a functional infrastructure. Their goal of establishing centres in about 600 Indian districts shows the requirement scale in Haryana.    

Funding is not the issue; it is the system. International systems like Open Philanthropy provided two years of support funding, which amounted to $120,000. It also provided cage-free farm initiatives, which amounted to $200,000. The AWBI was pushed by PETA India’s advocacy to issue an advisory ensuring sufficient funds were provided for community animal feeding. This shows that the work gets done when pressure is applied.

There is a big gap in data around how much funding SPCAs actually need. 

Financial assistance schemes exist, but lack transparency

The AWBI has a whole set of grant schemes that can be applied for through online mode.   

• Operational expenses(maintenance, medicines, rescue operations, and establishment charges) are covered by regular grants
• The Rehabilitation operation is supported by the rescue cattle grants. 
• Infrastructure development is provided by the shelter grants. 
• Disaster relief is provided by the natural calamity grants. 
• The Animal birth control programme funds sterilisation and vaccination initiatives. 
• Ambulance Grants provides emergency response services. 

It is not that easy to access these is not that easy. Funds always get released in two instalments, but that too after a proper, satisfactory inspection. There is a requirement to go through a complex recognition process, and the ABWI board must scrutinise the application.

Haryana’s Saral Portal theoretically streamlines applications through Digital India-compliant faceless, paperless, cashless systems. Yet practical implementation faces hurdles.

Recommendations demand immediate systematic reform

Evidence-based analysis points to clear, actionable recommendations for Haryana. Immediate requirements (0-6 months) include allocating Rs 10-15 crore dedicated animal welfare budget following Tamil Nadu’s model, establishing a functional State Animal Welfare Board with proper staffing and annual allocation, completing Punjab & Haryana High Court compliance for 15 identified districts, and filing comprehensive RTI applications for current spending audits. The state should leverage its AWBI headquarters advantage to establish model district SPCAs and create transparent online funding tracking systems.

Medium-term initiatives (6-18 months) should focus on completing land allocation for all 22 districts, recruiting required veterinary staff to fill vacancies, establishing district-wise helplines and ambulance services, and developing public-private partnerships with CSR funding targeting budget needs. Infrastructure development requires Rs 110-176 crore one-time investment plus Rs 11-16.5 crore annual operations, with priority allocation to Animal Birth Control programs, rescue and rehabilitation, infrastructure, staff and operations, and emergency response.

Talking about the long-term change, say like 2-5 years, then Haryana needs to think big. With big, it is meant that funding for animal welfare must become a legislative mandate, linking it with the plans of disaster response, setting up regional specialised treatment centres, and establishing a strong monitoring system with quarterly reviews and audits by the CAG.    

The aim for per capita spending can be at least higher than Tamil Nadu. Because honestly, Haryana has better capacity.

Money alone won’t do everything. A clear political will is required, and a proper separation of the animal welfare budget from the livestock budget. Pairing up with local NGOs would also work, and most importantly, transparency. This is what accountability is.

Looking forward

The Funding crisis in Haryana SPCAs is a clear case of government failure. There are several shortcomings despite having a strong framework. Even hosting the AWBI headquarters does not work. There are still sixty-eight per cent of the districts that have non-functioning SPCAs. There continues to be a massive shortage of veterinary staff and a lack of allocated funds.     

Haryana does not need to reinvent the wheel. There are already existing examples of proven models that are functioning fully for animal welfare. What does Haryana need to do now?

It needs to draw from these examples and proper funding for its SPCAs. Only with the right commitment, Haryana can fill the existing gaps and create an actual working animal welfare system.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. Are SPCAs’ services restricted to stay animals?

Not really, SPCAs are for every type of animal cruelty, whether it be the domestic pet or farm animals, or working animals like donkeys and horses. This list also includes those animals that are used for trade or entertainment. 

2. How does the lack of SPCAs affect public health?

It is very direct. When animals go untreated for various injuries, or there is no animal population control, and a lack of vaccination drive, this increases the risk of rabies and other diseases, and this affects the human population directly. 

3. What legal power do SPCAs have?

SPCAs get their legal powers from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. They can inspect the facilities, rescue the animals and also initiate a legal proceeding against the wrongdoers.

References

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