- Why in news
- On 9 January 2026, PIB published a note on digitalising India's dairy sector. It says over 35.68 crore animals have been issued Pashu Aadhaar under the National Digital Livestock Mission till November 2025.
- What it is
- The National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM) aims to give every animal in India a digital identity linked to health and productivity records. It is implemented by NDDB with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and feeds the Bharat Pashudhan database. Pashu Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit ear-tag ID used to log breeding, vaccination and treatment.
- Implementing agencies
- NDLM is implemented by NDDB together with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The database is called Bharat Pashudhan.
- Coverage
- Over 35.68 crore Pashu Aadhaar IDs had been generated till November 2025.
- 1962 helpline
- The 1962 app gives information on best practices and schemes. The toll-free 1962 number brings veterinary services to the doorstep through Mobile Veterinary Units.
- AMCS
- The Automatic Milk Collection System, built by NDDB, records milk quantity, quality and fat, and pays farmers directly into bank accounts. It covers over 26,000 societies in 12 states/UTs.
Don’t confuse with Pashu Aadhaar vs Aadhaar: Pashu Aadhaar tags animals with a 12-digit ear-tag code; Aadhaar identifies people and is issued by UIDAI.
Don’t confuse with INAPH vs INSPRM: INAPH captures breeding, nutrition and health data at the farmer's doorstep; INSPRM is the national portal for semen production and resource management.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Unique IDs make animal disease control, vaccination and breeding traceable.
Problems
- Ear-tag loss and under-reporting of field transactions can weaken data quality.
- AMCS covers only 12 states/UTs, so digital benefits are uneven.
Way forward
- Link animal data with insurance, credit and disease surveillance to give farmers use for the IDs.
- Expand AMCS and training to more states and small producers.
Put in your answer
India's share of world milk: India is the world's largest milk producer with 25% of global output.
Bharat Pashudhan transactions: The database has logged over 84 crore field transactions such as breeding, vaccination and treatment.
- 2015Mains GS3 · Q2Promote livestock rearing for non-farm rural employment and income in India
- 2015Mains GS3 · Q4How Digital India helps farmers improve productivity and income, and government steps
- 2014Mains GS2 · Q15Whether Aadhaar and NPR should run concurrently; their developmental potential
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statements
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements:
- 1.The National Digital Livestock Mission is implemented by the National Dairy Development Board in collaboration with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
- 2.Pashu Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit bar-coded ear-tag ID issued to livestock animals.
- 3.The Automatic Milk Collection System is currently operational in all States and Union Territories of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
True or false?
1 of 6
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The National Digital Livestock Mission is implemented by NDDB in collaboration with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
True. NDDB with DAHD implements NDLM.
2.Pashu Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit bar-coded ear-tag ID issued to livestock.
True. It is a 12-digit bar-coded Tag ID.
3.The toll-free number 1962 under the mission connects farmers to Mobile Veterinary Units.
True. 1962 provides doorstep veterinary services via Mobile Veterinary Units.
4.The Automatic Milk Collection System is currently operational in all States and Union Territories of India.
False. It is operational in 12 states/UTs.
5.The Semen Station Management System was developed under National Dairy Plan I, a World Bank-funded initiative implemented by NDDB.
True. SSMS came under NDP I, World Bank-funded and run by NDDB.
6.The NDDB Dairy ERP is built on proprietary software that requires paid recurring licences.
False. It is built on open-source Frappe ERPNext with no proprietary or recurring licensing fees.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.