No plans to shift cheetahs from Kuno National Park: Bhupender Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday said there is no plan as of now to shift the cheetahs from the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh to anywhere else.

However, in case any problem at Kuno emerges in future, Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary in northwestern Madhya Pradesh has been identified as an alternative site, he said.

“But there is no plan to shift the cheetahs anywhere else for now,” Yadav told a press conference where he listed the achievements of his ministry in the nine years of the government.

He also highlighted how the government has achieved success not only in cheetah conservation but also in wildlife and ecosystem conservation.

“We are successful not just in Project Cheetah but also in implementation of Project tiger, Project Elephant, Project Dolphin, Project Great Indian Bustard,” Yadav said.

Indian houses more than 60 per cent of the population of Asiatic Elephants with 29,964 elephants and 33 reserves. India also houses 53 tiger reserves.

On the rising number of climate disasters, Yadav said that the government has worked efficiently on mitigating their impact and formed the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

“Indians are leading the world in environment conservation today,” Yadav said.

While highlighting the government's achievement in combating air pollution he said that the government was able to reduce fire incidents by 40 per cent which resulted in significant reduction in pollution.

On legislative reforms, Yadav said that the government has amended the Wildlife Protection Act, introduced JanVishwas Bill and has notified Forest Conservation Rules 2022 among others.

India is also one of the few countries in the world to submit enhanced Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) with LT-LEDS (Long Term Low Emission Development Strategy) Plan to UNFCCC, he said.