PM Modi to release Tiger census report on April 9; Karnataka eyes top spot

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka on April 9, to mark the completion of 50 years of 'Project Tiger'.

PM Modi, who will be visiting the poll-bound Karnataka for the seventh time, will also be releasing the latest tiger census report and the government's vision for tiger conservation.

According to the tentative itinerary, PM Modi will be arriving in a special flight at Mysore Airport in Mandakalli on April 8. He will stay overnight at a hotel in Mysuru city.

The next morning, the IAF chopper carrying Modi will fly to Bandipur, where he will be participating in the 50-year celebrations of Project Tiger and go on a safari.

The Prime Minister is likely to meet Bomman and Bellie, the caretakers of baby elephants at Mudumalai
Tiger Reserve, who are featured in Oscar-winning documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers'.

PM Modi will felicitate the couple and also Bandipur forest personnel who rescued an electrocuted elephant recently.

India is celebrating the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger this year. On April 1, 1973, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched the Tiger Project to boost tiger population and promote their conservation in India.

Since then, this project has succeeded in increasing the number of tigers and conserve tigers. Project Tiger has received praise worldwide for successfully conserving tigers.

At present, India has 53 tiger reserves covering more than 75,000 sq km (approximately 2.4 per cent of the country's geographical area).

With a population of about 3,000 tigers, India is home to more than 70 per cent of the global wild tiger population and their number is increasing at six per cent per annum. There are indications that the count will rise significantly when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the latest census report later this month.

The tiger reserves are repositories for biodiversity conservation in the country. These ensure regional water security and carbon sequestration and thus contribute in accomplishing India's climate change mitigation targets.

Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka are competing for the title of housing the most tigers in the country.

Areas that had no tigers are also showing a good presence, more so in Karnataka. In 2018, Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 526 tigers while Karnataka ranked second with 524. This time Karnataka is likely to overtake Madhya Pradesh as tigers are showing a good presence in the state.