National One Health Mission (NOHM)

Overview

The National One Health Mission (NOHM) is an integrated, multi-ministerial initiative launched in 2022 under the guidance of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India. It operationalises the “One Health” approach — recognising that human health, animal health, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. India’s diverse wildlife, large livestock population (~537 million), and high human density create heightened risks for zoonotic disease emergence and inter-species pathogen spillover.

The mission was conceived in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen India’s pandemic preparedness and early warning capabilities. It brings together 13 Ministries and Departments — including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Environment, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), CSIR, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of AYUSH, Ministry of Defence, and ICMR — for coordinated surveillance, joint outbreak response, and One Health research.

Objectives

• Develop integrated disease surveillance systems across human, animal, and environmental health sectors
• Create joint rapid-response protocols for outbreak investigation and containment
• Coordinate R&D across sectors for vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics
• Establish seamless real-time information sharing among all One Health stakeholders
• Apply AI, machine learning, and disease modelling for early pathogen detection
• Expand genomic surveillance from wastewater to livestock and wildlife sentinels

National Institute of One Health (NIOH), Nagpur

The National Institute of One Health (NIOH) is being established in Nagpur, Maharashtra as the anchor institution for the mission. The Union Cabinet approved the Director position for NIOH in February 2024. The NIOH Director also serves as the Mission Director for the multi-ministerial National One Health Mission.

NIOH focuses on the interconnectedness between human, animal, and environmental health, with special emphasis on zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food safety, and environmental health threats.

Biosafety Laboratory Network

A key infrastructure component of the mission is the development of a national network of high-risk pathogen laboratories:

• ICMR has established 21 biosafety laboratories across its institutes — 1 BSL-4, 8 BSL-3, and 12 BSL-2 facilities
• Department of Health Research has approved 165 biosafety laboratories under the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) scheme — 154 BSL-2 and 11 BSL-3 labs
• DST (through Anusandhan National Research Foundation) has funded 5 BSL/ABSL-3 laboratories
• DBT has set up 26 biosafety laboratories
• ICAR has established 9 biosafety laboratories
• A new BSL-4 facility in Gujarat was foundation-laid in January 2026, with Gujarat designating Rs. 2.2 billion for a complex containing BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 labs
• Proposals exist to build at least 26 new BSL-3 and at least 4 new BSL-4 laboratories nationwide

Key Initiatives

AI-Enabled Pathogen Detection

The mission issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) in January 2026 for “Development of Artificial Intelligence Enabled Tools for Early Detection of Emerging/Novel Pathogens” — leveraging machine learning models for real-time pathogen surveillance.

Genomic Surveillance Expansion

Wastewater-based genomic surveillance, initially used during COVID-19 for SARS-CoV-2 tracking, is being expanded to cover livestock and wildlife sentinels for early warning of emerging zoonotic threats.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

The One Health framework addresses AMR across human medicine, veterinary medicine, agriculture, aquaculture, and the environment — recognising that resistance genes flow freely between these compartments.

Latest Developments

• December 2025: Fourth meeting of the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) for NOHM held on 18 December 2025, reviewing the governance model framework released in December 2025
• January 2026: BSL-4 facility in Gujarat foundation-laid; EoI issued for AI-enabled pathogen detection tools
• December 2025: National workshop on “Operational Frameworks for One Health: National Vision and State Action” organised by NIOH Nagpur in collaboration with ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar — aimed at translating NOHM vision into actionable state-level strategies
• February 2024: Union Cabinet approved the Director position for NIOH, Nagpur
• The mission continues to focus on pandemic preparedness through integrated human-animal-environment disease surveillance

Prelims Importance

• NOHM was launched in 2022; anchored at NIOH Nagpur under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser
• 13 Ministries/Departments participate in the mission
• “One Health” approach links human, animal, and environmental health — critical for zoonotic disease control
• BSL-4 is the highest biosafety level; India’s first BSL-4 lab is under ICMR
• ICMR manages 21 biosafety labs (1 BSL-4, 8 BSL-3, 12 BSL-2)
• 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin (WHO estimate)
• AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) is a key One Health priority
• VRDL scheme under Department of Health Research has 165 approved biosafety labs

Mains & Interview Importance

GS Paper 2 — Governance, Health Policy

• Discuss the significance of the One Health approach for India’s public health governance. How does NOHM address the institutional fragmentation between human health, veterinary, and environmental agencies?

GS Paper 3 — Science & Technology, Environment

• Critically evaluate India’s pandemic preparedness infrastructure. How does the biosafety laboratory network under NOHM contribute to early detection of novel pathogens?
• Examine the role of AI and genomic surveillance in One Health disease monitoring.

Interview Angle

• “India has one of the world’s largest livestock populations and highest human-animal contact zones. How should the One Health framework be operationalised at the district level to prevent the next pandemic?”