From Ek Tha Tiger to Tiger Zinda Hai: PM on India's story of tiger conservation

"From Ek Tha Tiger to Tiger Zinda Hai" -- this is how Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday captured India's story of tiger conservation with the latest government data showing a 33 per cent rise in the number of big cats in the country.

The prime minister referred to the two Salman Khan-starrer Bollywood movies while releasing the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 which stated that tiger population in the country has increased from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018.

"I want to tell the people associated with it that the story which started with Ek Tha Tiger and reached Tiger Zinda Hai should not stop there. This will not work. The work towards tiger conservation has to be expanded and sped up," Modi said.

On the 'development versus environment conservation' debate, Modi said striking a balance between the two is possible.

With around 3,000 tigers, India has emerged as of one of the biggest and safest habitats for them in the world, Modi said as he lauded all the stakeholders involved in the country's tiger conservation exercise.

"Nine long years ago, it was decided in St. Petersburg (Russia) that the target of doubling the tiger population would be 2022. We in India completed this target four years in advance. This is the finest example of Sankalp se Siddhi (attainment through resolve)," he said.

In the last five years, Modi said the focus was on developing next generation infrastructure, but there has also been an increase in forest cover and number of protected areas.

"In 2014, the number of protected areas were 692. It rose to more than 860 in 2019. Similarly, the number of community reserves were 43 in 2014 which rose to more than 100 in 2019," he said.

The prime minister said India will build more homes for its citizens and also create quality habitats for animals at the same time.

As a concluding remark, Modi, again used a popular Bollywood song to emphasis the need for continued efforts to protect tigers.

"There is a popular Bollywood song, Bago mein Bahar hai...now it can be Bagho mein..."