PM Modi highlighted that India achieved the target of doubling tiger population 4 years before schedule
India is committed to ensuring safe habitats for its tigers and nurturing tiger-friendly eco system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, pointing out that India is home to over 70 per cent of the tiger population globally.
In a series of tweets on the occasion of International Tiger Day, PM Modi also reiterated India's strategy of tiger conservation attaches topmost importance to involving local communities.
"We are also inspired by our centuries-old ethos of living in harmony with all flora and fauna with whom we share our great planet," PM Modi said.
India is home to 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states and the last tiger census of 2018 showed a rise in the tiger population, he said.
PM Modi also pointed out that India achieved the target of doubling of tiger population four years ahead of schedule of the St. Petersburg Declaration on tiger conservation.
"Target Achieved," replied Union Minister for I&B and Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur to PM Modi's tweet.
Prakash Javadekar, former Minister for Environment, tweeted:
Bhupender Yadav, who took charge of the ministry from Mr Javadekar, said the tiger conversation has been given special importance under Narendra Modi government. "Today, over 70% of the world's tigers are found in India. Under PM Shri @narendramodi ji, the impetus given to conservation of tigers and other wildlife has ensured that with economic growth India's ecology is also prosperous," he tweeted.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his state has recorded the second-highest density of tigers in the country. "Tiger is our National Animal. It helps maintain a balance in the ecosystem. Assam has a sizeable tiger population, with Kaziranga NP recording the second-highest density of tigers in the country," he tweeted.
Chief Minister of Mizoram Zoramthanga shared a recently captured picture of a tiger in Dampa Tiger Reserve. The sighting is a milestone in Mizoram conservation history, he said.
International Tiger Day is marked on July 29 with an aim to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.