MP asks Centre to withdraw draft animal‑research rules and seek expert review

DMK parliamentarian Dayanidhi Maran has written to Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh urging the removal of the 2026 draft rules on preventing cruelty to animals used in laboratories. He says the proposal, while meant to ease scientific work, should not erode existing animal‑welfare protections or weaken independent oversight. The draft would let institutional ethics committees clear a broader set of experiments, including those on larger species, raising doubts about accountability and the strength of external review. Maran stresses that progress in science and the welfare of animals must move together, not at each other's expense. He asks the Centre to pull the current draft and start a thorough review with input from independent animal‑rights experts, scientists, veterinarians, research bodies and civil‑society groups. In the same letter he calls for a strong, independent monitoring system, tighter safeguards for wildlife and community‑owned animals, enforceable welfare standards, and a push for validated alternatives that do not involve animals. ## Context The draft rules aim to streamline research involving laboratory animals, but critics fear they could lower the bar for ethical checks. The request for a broader consultation reflects a wider debate in India about balancing scientific advancement with animal‑rights concerns.