Independence day 2020 image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Red Fort today
Independence Day 2020: Ten years after Gangetic Dolphins were declared national aquatic animals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a conservation project for the species. Project Dolphin aims to protect the aquatic mammals along the lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India's 74th Independence Day, PM Modi said, "We will launch Project Dolphin for protection of ocean and Gangetic dolphins."
According to the environment ministry, the project looks to address conservation concerns and empower the stakeholders, such as river-dependent population, in reducing pollution and allowing sustainable fishery and other river-based livelihood options.
Gangetic river dolphin spotted in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut on April 27, 2020
River dolphins are primarily found in the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers and their tributaries in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. In India, these dolphins are sighted in long deep river reaches in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
There are around 3,700 Gangetic river dolphins in Indian river systems, according to official figures. As river dolphins act as indicators of healthy river ecosystems, their conservation would also ensure controlling river pollution and improving the availability of fish and enhancing economies of local communities through sustainable fishery, the ministry said.