New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Friday launched a pilot project for microchipping stray dogs at the Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre in Bijwasan.Officials said the NGO Friendicoes-SESCA, which operates the centre, has agreed to implant microchips free of cost in stray dogs brought to the facility for sterilisation under CSR model.“While the NGO operates multiple MCD-run ABC centres, the microchipping facility has initially been introduced at the Bijwasan centre to begin with. About 600 dogs are sterilised every month at this centre, and they will now be vaccinated and microchipped,” an official said.The microchipping initiative is part of a series of measures that MCD has assured the Supreme Court it will undertake to control the stray dog population. Along with the proposed dog census, the exercise will help maintain records of sterilisation and vaccination carried out by NGOs. It will also help verify whether sterilised dogs are breeding. If any such cases are found, MCD norms provide for action against the concerned NGO.Syed, project coordinator of Friendicoes-SESCA, said the initiative will also be rolled out at the Ghazipur ABC Centre. “The data stored on these microchips will be uploaded to a centralised dashboard, which can be easily accessed by the MCD. The project is being funded by power distribution companies BRPL and BYPL. As the Bijwasan and Ghazipur centres are planned for expansion, we aim to eventually microchip around 2,000-2,500 stray dogs every month,” Syed said.“As per the norms, microchips are to be procured from two agencies listed on Bharat Pashudhan portal of National Digital Livestock Mission. These agencies receive unique identity from National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). In case of Bijwasan also, the NGO will procure the chips from listed companies, and the records will be fully accessible to us,” the official said.Regarding plans to expand the microchipping programme across the city, MCD is exploring the possibility of funding the complete project through a CSR model.“We are in advanced discussions with an NGO to carry out the exercise on a large scale. The selected NGO will use CSR funds to conduct the drive. Estimates of the expenditure and the methodology for the survey have also been sought from the NGO,” officials said.“If the task is undertaken by the NGO, it will save the corporation’s funds, which can then be used to strengthen veterinary services across the city,” a senior official said.According to officials, the last survey or dog census was done in 2022-23 and then the dogs’ population was counted as 10 lakh. Though MCD had earmarked Rs 20 crore for microchipping strays in its 2026-27 Budget, its implementation remained slow.