Animal Welfare Board of India

What Animal Welfare Board of India does

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory advisory body of the Government of India, established in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, operating under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Founded under the stewardship of Late Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, AWBI is the legally codified national advisory authority on animal welfare policy, comprising 28 members including 6 Members of Parliament (2 from Rajya Sabha, 4 from Lok Sabha). Its mandate includes advising the central government on animal welfare laws, promoting enforcement of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, providing grants and recognition to Animal Welfare Organizations, registering performing animals used in films and entertainment, and managing a network of Honorary Animal Welfare Representatives and Colony Animal Care Takers.

AWBI's service portfolio consists of administrative web portals rather than commercial technology products: a Recognition System for AWOs and Animal Birth Control (ABC) projects; a Financial Assistance Portal for grant applications; a Performing Animals Registration System under the 2001 Rules with pre-shoot and post-shoot permissions; Honorary Animal Welfare Representative and Colony Animal Care Taker registration systems; a Grievance and Cruelty Complaint portal; a Document Repository of acts, rules, advisories, and court orders; and a publication portal for annual reports and newsletters. There is no proprietary technology stack disclosed — the core offering is regulatory administration via self-serve online portals.

The revenue model is non-commercial. AWBI is funded by Government of India budgetary grants and accepts public donations. The only disclosed pricing is a Rs. 5,000 per-application fee for performing animal registration, revised upward in November 2020. Customer segments are stakeholder-based rather than commercial: recognized Animal Welfare Organizations (primary), performing animal owners (films, circuses, equestrian events), Honorary Animal Welfare Representatives, and the general public. Distribution is via a single domestic (India-only) self-serve web portal supported by organic social channels (Facebook, X), press releases, advisories, and events. There are no international operations, no equity funding, and no commercial monetization — AWBI is a public-sector institution, not an investable commercial entity.

Name

Animal Welfare Board of India

Legal name

Animal Welfare Board of India

Website

https://awbi.gov.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, established in 1962, that advises the Government of India on animal welfare laws, provides grants and recognition to Animal Welfare Organizations, and administers performing animal registration and cruelty complaint services nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Governance

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (11521)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Welfare Regulation & Enforcement (HLAMAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations (AFAEALAC), Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ), Animal Cruelty Prevention, Investigation & Humane Law Enforcement (BPAGAIAG)

Keywords

• Animal welfare governance
• Performing animal registration
• Animal welfare grants
• Cruelty prevention regulation
• Statutory advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ballabhgarh

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body that promotes animal welfare in India by advising the Government of India on animal welfare laws, recognizing animal welfare organizations, providing financial assistance/grants, registering performing animals, appointing honorary animal welfare representatives, and handling cruelty/grievance complaints. It also administers the AWBI National Awards (Prani Mitra and Jeev Daya) and publishes animal welfare laws, advisories, and reports.

Product overview

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory advisory body established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. AWBI operates primarily as a government regulatory and advisory body rather than a commercial product company. Its service offerings consist of a suite of online administrative portals for animal welfare governance, including an Organization Recognition System for certifying animal welfare organizations, a Financial Assistance Portal for funding applications, a Performing Animals Registration System for film/theater animal compliance, an Honorary Animal Welfare Representative management system, a Colony Animal Care Taker registration portal, and a Grievance/Cruelty Complaint submission system. These are complemented by information services including a Document Repository of animal welfare laws and guidelines, the AWBI National Awards program recognizing excellence in animal welfare, and a Publication Portal for accessing annual reports and newsletters. The organization does not offer commercial software products but rather government services for animal welfare administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recognition System

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NALSAR University of Law, HyderabadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2025Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and NALSAR University signed an MoU to train Animal Welfare Representatives. This partnership aims to enhance the training and capacity building of animal welfare representatives across India through NALSAR's educational infrastructure and expertise in law.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): Founded in 1866, the ASPCA is the US counterpart to AWBI in scope, providing animal welfare advocacy, enforcement support, and policy advisory. It operates a comparable mix of regulatory advocacy, grants, and stakeholder services targeting animal cruelty prevention.
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA): The UK's flagship animal welfare charity, established in 1824, with a mandate to prevent cruelty, enforce welfare laws, and advise government that closely mirrors AWBI's statutory role in India. Both organizations function as national authorities combining advocacy, regulation, and direct service delivery for animal welfare.
• People for Animals (PFA): India's largest animal welfare NGO, founded by Maneka Gandhi, operating shelters, hospitals, and advocacy across India. PFA works alongside AWBI on cruelty prevention, ABC programs, and animal welfare recognition, making it a directly comparable Indian welfare operator.
• World Animal Protection: A global animal welfare organization operating across multiple continents, working on animal protection legislation, disaster response, and farming welfare. Its international policy and legislative advocacy remit is structurally comparable to AWBI's national advisory mandate.
• Blue Cross of India: One of India's oldest animal welfare organizations (founded 1959), running animal shelters, adoption, and ambulance services. Blue Cross operates within the same AWBI recognition framework and shares the companion-animal welfare mission, making it a directly comparable Indian peer.
• PETA India: The India affiliate of PETA, conducting investigations, public campaigns, and policy advocacy on animal welfare issues. PETA India works within the same Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act framework AWBI administers, making it a directly comparable domestic advocacy peer.
• Humane Society International (HSI): A global animal welfare organization that runs campaigns, policy advocacy, and on-the-ground programs across multiple countries. HSI's focus on animal protection advocacy and policy engagement overlaps directly with AWBI's mandate in cruelty prevention and welfare law advisory.

Broad incumbents

• Wildlife Trust of India: A leading Indian wildlife conservation NGO working on species recovery, habitat protection, and wildlife policy. WTI overlaps with AWBI on wildlife welfare advisory and represents a broader incumbent in the Indian animal/wildlife welfare ecosystem.
• DEFRA Animal Welfare Unit: The UK government department responsible for animal welfare policy,立法, and enforcement coordination. DEFRA's policy advisory and welfare law stewardship parallels AWBI's advisory role to the Government of India, but as part of a much larger departmental portfolio.
• USDA APHIS Animal Care: The US federal agency enforcing the Animal Welfare Act, regulating exhibitors, dealers, and research facilities. As a national government animal welfare regulator with enforcement powers, it represents a broader incumbent peer to AWBI's advisory and recognition function.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AwbiBallabhgarh
• Facebookm.facebook.com/Animal-Welfare-Board-Of-India-104742494310960

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Animal Welfare Board of India