There are 9,090 vacant posts of veterinary doctors across various states and union territories as against 35,745 sanctioned posts, Parliament was informed on Friday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala said: "Animal Husbandry, including Veterinary Science as well as veterinary practice, is a State subject. Hence, public employment of veterinarians, as per their requirement, is the responsibility of the State Government."

"As per the information received by states/UTs, sanctioned posts of veterinary doctors are 35,745, while vacant posts stand at 9,090 across the country as on January 31, 2023," he said.

"While no reports of large scale deaths of animals due to lack of veterinary services / facilities have been received from the States, yet reports of death of animals affected by Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) have been received during 2022-23," Rupala added.

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