Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning reached the Bandipore Tiger Reserve in Karnataka for a 20-km safari as part of programmes to mark 50 years of "Project Tiger''. He would be shown habitat improvements, water holes, and elephant camps. He is scheduled to interact with frontline field staff and self-help groups involved in conservation activities later.
PM Modi will then visit the Theppakadu Elephant Camp of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, where the Oscar-winning documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers' was shot. PM Modi will meet Raghu, the orphaned elephant featured in the documentary, and also Bomman and Bellie, who raised the little jumbo. The couple are the key stars of the documentary.
The PM will then attend the inaugural programme at the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) in Mysuru. A walk-in exhibition showing progress in the wildlife sector across the country is scheduled later.
At an event in Mysuru, the PM will release the government's vision plan for tiger conservation during 'Amrit Kaal', and launch the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA). Another report, the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of tiger reserves, will also be released, along with a commemorative coin on the 50 years of the tiger project.
Finally, the PM will release the 2022 tiger census numbers. Sources say there's a jump of six percent from the last census figure of 2967.
