PM to review National Wildlife Board on June 19

New Delhi, June 14: Vital issues relating to conservation and protection of wildlife, especially the threatened tiger, would come up for review and discussion at a meeting of the National Wild Life Board, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on June 19.

A senior Environment Ministry official told UNI that the reports presented in the last meeting will be reviewed and each Member of the Board will be given a chance to speak.

Regarding focus on any specific subject, he said, ''all matters relating to wildlife are important and work of the Environment Ministry on all of them will be taken up for appraisal.'' He said the proposal to set up a National Wildlife Crime Bureau would also be taken up.

However, it is understood that protection and conservation of the tiger was likely to be one of the main issues to be discussed at the meeting.

Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman of the Board, which is the apex body in the country on wildlife conservation and protection.

It has 40 members, including senior bureaucrats, experts and representatives of NGOs working in the field.

The Board was created under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

UNI