India, Sept. 23 -- Despite the mandate under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules 2023 and reiterated in the guidelines for street dog management published by the Delhi government last week, 11 of the 20 ABC centres in the capital currently do not have project recognition from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to carry out ABC programmes. AWBI officials stated that all 20 centres have applied for recognition, which were in varying stages of approval.

To be sure, the AWBI offers two types of recognition to Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs). The first is a general recognition; after getting it, the AWO is eligible to receive grants and government support for carrying out its activities. The recognition also helps formalise their o...