On occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Environment minister Bhupender Yadav commences tiger rallies across 51 reserves

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday kicked off tiger rallies in 18 tiger range states across 51 reserves in the country as part of ''Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'' and Wildlife Week celebrations.The rallies will cover a distance of over 7,500 km in seven days (2 October to 8 October) traversing the diverse and picturesque landscapes spanning across IndiaThe minister kicked off the rally virtually in three tiger reserves — Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and Sanjay Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh — by waving a green flag.Yadav also released guidelines on sustainable eco-tourism in forest and wildlife areas, field guide for monitoring the Ganges and Indus river dolphins, associated aquatic fauna and habitat; and Nagar Van guidelines.Besides, the minister released an online portal on wetlands, which is a single-point access to all information related to such ecosystems.The launch event was held at the Environment ministry headquarters in the national capital and was attended by Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Choubey, Environment Secretary R P Gupta, and Additional Director Generals of Forest Soumitra Dasgupta and S P Yadav.With the theme "India for Tigers - A Rally on Wheels", it will journey across 51 tiger reserves, 18 tiger range states where field directors, deputy directors and associated staff from respective tiger reserves will follow the assigned routes and unite at the designated focal point of celebration (the first nine tiger reserves designated during the inception of Project Tiger in 1973).It will conduct outreach activities along the way and at the focal point of celebration.“With an aim to raise awareness on the importance of tiger conservation, the rally will bring together people from different walks of life and the large-scale coverage of the event will enable its global outreach,” the environment minister said.The minister said that the idea is to culminate the event in Ranthambore, Kanha, Melghat, Bandipur, Similipal, Sunderbans, Manas, Palamau & Corbett tiger reserves, representing our country’s initial 9 tiger reserves designated under The Project Tiger."Released eco-tourism guidelines applicable in sites falling in forests, wildlife areas and eco-sensitive zones. It will promote better understanding of nature and wildlife conservation and help in generating livelihood opportunities for communities in those areas," Yadav added.With inputs from PTI