Alexandrine Parakeet

• 18 Apr 2019

District administration of Jhalawar in Rajasthan is using the Alexandrine Parakeet, as the mascot of voter awareness program for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

• Also known as Gagroni parakeet, it derives its name from the Gagron fort of Jhalawar, it is also known for imitating the human voice.
• Apart from focusing on the upcoming polls, the administration is concentrating on the conservation of parakeet 
• The district administration has made a cartoon series under SVEEP programme which is based on Gagroni parakeet.

Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP)

• SVEEP started in 2009 is the flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India.
• SVEEP is designed according to the socio-economic, cultural and demographic profile of the state as well as the history of electoral participation in previous rounds of elections and learning thereof.

Alexandrine Parakeet

• It is protected under the Schedule 1 (B) of the Wildlife protection act (WPA) 1972. It is native to South and South East Asia.
• It is ‘Near Threatened’ in the Red list of the IUCN and in Appendix II of CITES.
• The male parakeet has a red ring on its neck and red spots on wings.
• Poaching of this parakeet for its household pet uses and for the flesh, and habitat destruction has led to the sharp decline in the population of the bird.