1 week ago
Mumbai BMC Introduces QR Collars For Stray Dog Tracking
Mumbai is giving some stray dogs special reflective collars with QR codes.
Each QR code works like a digital name tag for the dog.
Authorised people can use it to see whether the dog was vaccinated against rabies or sterilised.
The record may also include other health information.
This can help workers avoid doing the same treatment twice.
The collars are meant to last longer than coloured ink markings, which can fade.
The BMC is working with the Ridlan AI Foundation on the project.
The programme is part of Mumbai’s plan to become rabies-free by 2030.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has introduced reflective collars with unique QR codes for community dogs in Mumbai.
The collars will link to records of each dog’s rabies vaccination, sterilisation and relevant health details.
The system is intended to help officials and authorised users identify dogs that have already received interventions.
The initiative is being implemented through an agreement between the BMC and the Ridlan AI Foundation’s PawFriend.in.
The project supports Mumbai’s target of becoming rabies-free by 2030 and follows Supreme Court directions on dog management.
- Who
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Ridlan AI Foundation are implementing the initiative.
- What
- QR-enabled reflective collars will identify community dogs and link them to digital vaccination, sterilisation and health records.
- Where
- The programme covers community dogs across Mumbai, with the agreement signed at BMC headquarters.
- When
- The agreement and initiative were reported on August 20, 2026, a Thursday.
- Why
- It aims to improve record-keeping, monitoring and planning for sterilisation and anti-rabies programmes while supporting Mumbai’s rabies-free 2030 target.
Key facts
- Implementing authority
- Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
- Technology
- Reflective collars carrying unique QR codes
- Records covered
- Rabies-vaccination status, sterilisation status and relevant health details
- Implementation partner
- Ridlan AI Foundation, through PawFriend.in
- Access
- QR-linked information will be available to authorised users under applicable data-access protocols
- Reported progress
- Mumbai has vaccinated more than 50,000 dogs and neutered over 4 lakh dogs, according to the BMC veterinary health department
- Long-term target
- Mumbai aims to become rabies-free by 2030
- Reported discrepancy
- One article identifies the Veterinary Health Department official as Dr Akbar Pathan, while another names Dr Kalim Pasha Pathan
Quotes
Akshay Ridlan
Social entrepreneur and leader of the PawFriend.in initiative
“We are committed to building innovative, technology-driven solutions that can create measurable impact in public health and animal welfare. Our vision is to create a reliable digital infrastructure that enables better vaccination tracking, sterilisation monitoring and evidence-based interventions for community dogs.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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