State Animal Welfare Board will be Named after Amrita Devi | 28 Aug 2023

Why in News?

On August 26, 2023, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while addressing the 14th meeting of the State Animal Welfare Board, announced the renaming of the State Animal Welfare Board after Amrita Devi.

Key Points:

• Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that commendable decisions are being taken in Rajasthan regarding forest and wildlife conservation. Due to the policies of the state government, today the number of tigers in the state has increased to more than 100.
• He said that due to the efforts of the State Government, the rating of Ranthambore and Sariska Tiger Reserves has improved in the review report released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in 2022. Of the total 29 conservation reserves in the state, 16 have been created during the tenure of the current government.
• He said that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi encouraged environmental protection in the country through the Wildlife Protection Act, Project Tiger etc. Kailash Sankhla of Jodhpur was appointed as the first Project Director in Project Tiger.
• Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made innovations in this direction like the Environmental Protection Act, Ganga Action Plan and Wasteland Development Board. The previous central government brought the National Green Tribunal Act. In this sequence, the state government is also working to preserve the forests and wildlife of the state.
• He said that out of 6 tiger reserves in the state, 3 were created during the tenure of the present government. More than 10-thousand-hectare grassland is being developed in the state. 741 families have been rehabilitated from various tiger reserves, which has reduced man-wild conflict.
• Under 'Project Godavan', the second generation of children hatched from the eggs of Godavan have also been born through artificial hatching in the Incubation Center.
• Announcing the renaming of the State Animal Welfare Board after Amrita Devi, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Amrita Devi's sacrifice inspires everyone to protect the environment.
• It was informed in the meeting that decisions like arrangement of drinking water supply in the forests by installing solar pumps, construction of corridors for wildlife, formation of 18 new protected areas, establishment of special tiger protection force have been taken. The protected areas have increased from 11243 sq km (about the area of Connecticut) to 13595 sq km as compared to 2018.
• It was informed in the meeting that approvals have been obtained from the National Tiger Conservation Authority for the expansion of the core and buffer areas of Mukundara, Sariska and Ranthambore tiger reserves. Along with this, in-principal approval has been received for the Kumbhalgarh Tiger Reserve.
• Shikhar Agarwal, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Environment Department, said that 53 wetlands have been notified by the state government in the last few months. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Hoff) Munesh Kumar Garg said that there has been an unprecedented increase in the budget allocated to the Forest Department, due to which work is being done in new areas like grassland, wetland etc.
• Chief Animal Warden Arindam Tomar said that translocation of different species is being done after feasibility analysis in different sanctuaries of the state. Their population growth is being monitored by experienced veterinarians. The state is a leader in the country in conservation-breeding of wolves.