G20 podium
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9 released India’s Tiger Census summary report. The numbers reflect a rise in the minimum tiger count to 3,167 in 2022.
India has not only prevented the tiger population from declining but also provided an ecosystem where tigers can flourish, said the PM while inaugurating a conference to mark the 50 years of Project Tiger, in Mysore, Karnataka. A safari was also included in the PM’s schedule at the Mysore’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve The fresh figures reflect how a little political will can go a long way in sustaining ecology and wildlife.
In this regard, PM Modi has always taken a keen interest in the conservation of nature. Recently, Bear Grylls, host of the popular TV show ‘Man vs Wild’, recalled the time when the PM featured on his show in August 2019. Grylls posted their photo, shot in Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, on Twitter.
The PM also showed his skills with the camera at Nandan Van Jungle Safari in Chhattisgarh in November 2016. In September 2022, he presided over the release of cheetahs, translocated from Namibia to India, at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. No wonder that under the leadership of PM Modi, the management of 12 tiger reserves out of 53 has been rated as ‘excellent’ by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Not a single reserve was placed in the ‘poor’ category.
