The correct answer is Diclofenac.

• Diclofenac is used commonly to treat mild to moderate post-operative or post-traumatic pain, in particular when inflammation is also present and is effective against menstrual pain and endometriosis.
  • Diclofenac also aids in easing pains caused by sprains, concussions etc.
  • Diclofenac is sold as eye drops to treat non-bacterial inflammation on the anterior part of the eyes.
  • They are also used to handle the pain from corneal abrasion diclofenac is often used to treat chronic pain associated with cancer, especially if inflammation is present.
• The government had prohibited the use of diclofenac for veterinary operations in 2006 after it was found that the once-thriving vulture population in the country was brought to near extinction after consuming the carcasses of animals that were illegally treated with human formulations of the drug.
  • Along with this, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease was also considered. Thus the decision was made to ban the drug completely.

• To study the cause of the deaths of vultures in India, a Vulture Care Centre (VCC) was set up at Pinjore, Haryana in 2001.
  • Later in 2004, the VCC was upgraded to being the first Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC) in India. At present, there are nine Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC) in India, of which three are directly administered by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). The main objective of the VCBCs was to look after the vultures and breed them in captivity and also release them into the wild.
• India’s conservation efforts are focussed on the three species of vultures that are Critically Endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) namely,
  • White-backed Vulture
  • Slender-billed Vulture
  • Long-billed Vulture