INTRODUCTION
- On October 2, 2021, Tiger Rallies in 18 tiger range states and 51 reserves throughout the nation by Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav were launched. It was done as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and the celebrations for Wildlife Week.
- The Indian tiger rallies will traverse a distance of about 7,500 kilometres in seven days (October 2 to October 8, 2021), visiting the country’s scenic and diverse landscapes.
- On the occasion, the union minister also unveiled guidelines for sustainable eco-tourism in forest and wildlife regions, as well as a field guide for monitoring the Indus River and Ganges dolphins, as well as Nagar Van rules.
- The ceremony was held at the Environment Ministry’s headquarters in Delhi. Additional Director Generals of Forests S.P. Yadav and Soumitra Dasgupta, Environment Secretary R.P. Gupta, Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Choubey, and Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Choubey also attended.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING TIGER RALLIES –
- “India for Tigers- A Rally on Wheels,” is the theme for the rally.
- The tiger rallies in the country will bring people from all walks of life together, and the event’s large-scale coverage will allow it to reach a audience worldwide. The rallies would also raise awareness about the need of tiger conservation.
- The tiger rallies were essentially started off by the union minister raising a green flag at three tiger reserves: Maharashtra’s Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve, Karnataka’s Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve, and Madhya Pradesh’s Sanjay Tiger Reserve.
- They will subsequently reunite at the selected celebration focal point (the first nine tiger reserves designated during the inception of Project Tiger in 1973).
LAUNCH OF WETLAND PORTAL –
- Bhupendra Yadav, the Union Environment Minister, also launched the ‘Wetlands of India Portal.’ It will serve as a single point of access to all wetlands-related information.
- To access the portal and supply it with information on wetlands in their administration, a dashboard on the site has been built for each state and UT across the country. At the national, state, and district levels, the wetland portal will serve as a monitoring tool.
