PM Modi chairs National Wildlife Board meet in Gujarat, announces lion census

Sasan (Gujarat), Mar 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the National Board for Wildlife’s seventh meeting here on Monday, on the occasion of the World Wildlife Day, and announced the Asiatic lion population estimation to be held in May this year.

Soon after completing his lion safari at Gir National Park in the morning, Modi headed for the NBWL meeting, at Sasan in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, which was attended by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and other members.

On the occasion, Modi laid the foundation stone for the National Referral Centre-Wildlife at Junagadh and announced the 16th Asiatic lion population estimation to be carried out in May this year.

He also announced the setting up of a Centre of Excellence for Human-Wildlife Conflict Management, SACON, at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, and unveiled a book on river dolphins.

The NBWL, a statutory body that advises the government on wildlife conservation, has 47 members, including the Chief of Army Staff, members from different states, representatives from NGOs working in this field, chief wildlife wardens and secretaries from various states. The prime minister is the ex-officio chairperson of the NBWL, and the Union environment, forests and climate change minister is the board’s vice-chairperson.

The central government has approved more than Rs 2,900 crore for Project Lion, meant for the conservation of Asiatic lions for which Gujarat is the only abode, stated a government release. Currently, the Asiatic lions inhabit nearly 30,000 square kilometres across 53 talukas in 9 districts of Gujarat, it said.

Additionally, as part of a national project, a National Referral Centre for Wildlife is being established on over 20.24 hectares of land at New Pipalya in Junagadh district, it said.

A high-tech monitoring centre for wildlife tracking and a state-of-the-art hospital have also been set up in Sasan to strengthen conservation efforts, the release said.

The state government has also formulated a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in collaboration with the Railways to prevent potential accidents caused by lion movement on railway tracks in the Greater Gir region. “This has significantly reduced such incidents,” a release said.

As part of his three-day visit to Gujarat, Modi on Sunday offered prayers at Somnath temple (in Gir Somnath district) and visited Vantara, an animal rescue, conservation and rehabilitation centre located at the Reliance Jamnagar refinery complex.

Vantara is a rescue centre dedicated to the welfare of captive elephants and wildlife, providing sanctuary, rehabilitation and medical care to animals rescued from abuse and exploitation.