Thread by @Ecology4UPSC

50 years of Project Tiger:

Today, India has 2,967 tigers, which is 70% of wild tigers in the world.

A thread on one of the important conservation initiatives taken by Govt. of India.

#ProjectTigerAt50

1. It is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of MoEFCC, launched by the Government of India in April 1973 in nine reserves of different States (Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal).

#ProjectTigerAt50

2. Need for Tiger Project:

Tiger is an “#umbrella species” which ensures viable populations of other wild animals (co-predators, prey) &forest, thereby ensuring the ecological viability of the entire area & habitat, which also ensures the water & climate security of the region.

3. Funding Pattern:

a. Under Project Tiger, 60% Central Assistance is being made available to States for expenditure on all non-recurring items;

for recurring items, the Central Assistance is restricted to 50% of the expenditure, while the matching grant is provided by the Project States.

b. In the context of North Eastern and Himalayan States, 90% of Central Assistance is being made available to States for expenditure on all non-recurring items;

for recurring items, the Central Assistance is also restricted to 90% of the expenditure, while the matching grant is provided by the Project States.

4. Who administers Project Tiger?

It is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

#ProjectTigerAt50

5. It was launched by the Indira Gandhi government in 1973 from the Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand.

6. It aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction, etc.

#DidYouKnow?

Kailash Sankhala was the first director of Project Tiger.

https://twitter.com/Ecology4UPSC/status/1642045767753007104