- Why in news
- The Sixth Meeting of the Scientific Steering Committee on One Health was held on 30 September 2026 in New Delhi under PSA Prof. Ajay K. Sood. It released Minimum Standard Requirements for BSL-3/4 laboratories and reviewed the One Health Dashboard.
- What it is
- The Scientific Steering Committee on One Health is a coordination body chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. It brings together ministries and agencies for human, animal and environmental health. It guides the national One Health approach through advisory committees on labs, surveillance and data.
- Chair
- The meeting was chaired by Prof. Ajay K. Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
- BSL-3/4 standards
- Minimum Standard Requirements for BSL-3/4 laboratories were released, prepared by the Advisory and Review Committee on BSL 3/4 laboratories.
- One Health Dashboard
- The Committee reviewed progress on an interoperable One Health Dashboard, which could complement the MoH&FW's IHIP.
- Advisory committees
- Advisory and Review Committees cover BSL-3/4 laboratory networks, technology-enabled surveillance, and data integration and sharing.
Don’t confuse with Scientific Steering Committee vs National Institute for One Health: The committee is a coordinating body under the PSA's office. The National Institute for One Health (NIOH) is a separate institution that attended the meeting.
Don’t confuse with IHIP vs One Health Dashboard: IHIP is the Health Ministry's integrated health information platform. The One Health Dashboard is a proposed interoperable cross-sector tool.
Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.
Why it matters
- Coordinates human, animal and environmental health agencies for zoonotic and pandemic preparedness.
- Common BSL-3/4 lab standards improve biosafety and quality.
Problems
- Siloed ministries and unclear institutional ownership slow implementation.
- Data sharing across sectors and states is hard to make interoperable.
Way forward
- Build on existing programmes and platforms rather than creating parallel structures.
- Set outcome-oriented targets with clear accountability and follow-up.
Put in your answer
Whole-of-government approach: The PSA said an interoperable dashboard reflects a whole-of-government and whole-of-country effort giving integrated visibility across sectors.
- 2021Mains GS3 · Q7WHO air quality guidelines revisions and changes needed in India's National Clean Air Programme.
- 2014Mains GS3 · Q11Whether antibiotic overuse causes drug resistance in India, and monitoring and control mechanisms.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting health-governance topic with BSL-3/4 standards; few testable facts.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.