AHMEDABAD:
At a time when the lion population is increasing and now spread in an
area of 22,000 sq km across Saurashtra, the Narendra Modi-led NDA
government has denied funds under the Integrated Development of Wildlife
Habitats (IDWH) for the long term conservation of Asiatic Lion in
Greater Gir area.
The state has 523 lions according to the 2015
census. Of these, 170-odd lions (one-third of the population) have made
their permanent homes outside Gir Sanctuary.
The state forest
department officials said the state has first drawn a project worth Rs
264 crore for the long term conservation of the lions in the area
outside the protected area. However, during the UPA region, the state
government first sought funds from the Planning Commission.
However, the commission refused funds and asked the state to scale down
the proposal. Finally Rs 150 crore was sent, of which 135 crore was to
be funded by the Centre, while the remaining was the state government's
share.
However, in 2011 the UPA government in a reply to
Darshana Jardosh question had stated in Lok Sabha: "Planning Commission
did not provide additional funds for supporting the project, and advised
the ministry that it should be supported within the budget allocated
for the centrally sponsored scheme of IDWH. Despite paucity of funds
under the scheme, the ministry released financial assistance amounting
to Rs 6.74 crore during the financial year 2010-11 to the Gujarat
government for undertaking some activities proposed during the first
year of the project."
However again in 2015, BJP Junagadh MP
Rajesh Chudasma sought to know whether the Centre proposed to grant
necessary funds for conservation of Asiatic Lions and also the quantum
of funds to be released for the project.
Union minister of
state for environment, forest and climate change Prakash Javadekar
replied in Lok Sabha that the ministry had received proposal from the
Gujarat government with a total cost of Rs 150 crores. The state
government had sought central funding of Rs135 crores and had proposed
to share Rs 15 crore. The proposal had been examined by the ministry.
However, requisite funds were not available under the IDWH.
In
the past the Union government had stated that the Planning Commission
had not provided additional funds for supporting the project citing that
there was no project like Project Tiger which was taken up by the
Centre and also that lions were found only in one state. The UPA
government had agreed in principal to fund the project. However, it is
the first time that this NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has clearly said that no funds can be allocated.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Lion-conservation-NDA-says-no-funds-under-IDHW/articleshow/49470725.cms
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