VAJRA-SAT: India's Tabletop Drill on FMD Serotype SAT-1

India has rehearsed its response to an animal disease that has never been found inside the country. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), working with the ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI) in Bengaluru, ran a two-day National Tabletop Exercise called 'VAJRA-SAT' on 4 and 5 November 2026. Its subject was preparedness for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) serotype SAT-1, and the closing recommendations were announced on 6 November 2026.

Why SAT-1, and why now

FMD serotype SAT-1 has so far not been reported anywhere in India. It has, however, moved out of Africa and reached parts of West Asia. The ministry therefore treated the drill as a step taken in advance, meant to protect animal health, the incomes of farmers and the wider livestock economy before any case appears. FMD is a transboundary animal disease, which means it crosses national borders with the movement of animals and products.

Who took part

The drill gathered 83 participants drawn from 25 States, three Union Territories and leading national bodies. They included State animal husbandry departments, ICAR institutes, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, veterinary universities and vaccine makers. Defence and border guarding agencies also sat at the table, a sign that border vigilance is part of the plan.

How a tabletop exercise works

No animals were involved. Participants worked through simulated outbreak scenarios and discussed each stage of a response: spotting the disease early, confirming it in the laboratory, tracing it epidemiologically, controlling the movement of animals, getting emergency vaccination ready, communicating risk to the public and coordinating among agencies.

Key people

Theme and outcome

The exercise ran on the theme "Detect Early, Confirm Fast, Contain Together". The closing discussion stressed prompt reporting, quick laboratory confirmation, surveillance, movement control, vaccine readiness and coordination between States. Building diagnostic capacity in regional FMD laboratories and Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratories (RDDLs), with technical help from ICAR-NIFMD, was singled out.

On 5 November a separate technical meeting took up FMD-free compartmentalisation of semen production centres and semen banks, aimed at protecting valuable livestock genetics and enabling safe trade in animals.