Uttarakhand news: Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami launched the Wildlife Week at Dehradun Zoo on Friday and said that the assistance amount on the loss of life in the attack of wildlife in the state will be increased to Rs 10 lakh.
Maa Durga’s vehicle lion, Ganesh ji’s vehicle mosquito, mother Saraswati’s swan, Lord Kartikeya’s peacock, Lakshmi ji’s owl and Devadhidev Mahadev, Nagaraja on the throat of Mahadev and Nandi sitting together are a symbol of integrity between human and living in our eternal culture. This is the reason that the protection of wildlife since time immemorial has been a natural part of India’s way of life.
The Chief Minister said that about 14.77 percent of the state’s land, 6 national parks, 7 wildlife viharas and 4 conservation are preserved as reserved areas, while in the entire country this ratio is only 5.27 percent. This difference is a clear proof of the environmental commitment of our state. He said that the greenery of Uttarakhand and wildlife wandering in it attract millions of tourists coming from India and abroad throughout the year. Along with taking care of the facilities of tourists, the state government is committed to maintaining the natural nature of forests and safety of wildlife.
Chief Minister Shri Dhami said that with the inspiration of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the state government is working for development as well as conservation of natural resources by establishing balance between economy, ecology and technology. The Chief Minister told the Forest Department to identify at least a new tourist destination in every district and develop it, as well as make it accessible to tourists without changing the natural nature. The Chief Minister said that work is going on on the new eco-tourism model in the state, so that people should join the forests, but do not harm nature.
The Chief Minister said that the collective efforts of the state government have increased the number of rare wildlife like tiger, guldar, elephant, snow leopard. But the challenges of human-livelihood struggle are also increasing with them. The government is using modern technology and scientific measures to reduce this conflict. The forest department is being provided technical facilities of drones and GPS, so that wildlife can be monitored and safety and better. New livelihood opportunities are being created for the locals, so that they can become an active partner in protecting the forests and the protection of wildlife.
The Chief Minister said that the state government had talked about making one lakh youth “CM Young Eco-Prinure”, now this scheme is bringing color. Under this scheme, work has moved forward to convert nature guide, drone pilot, wildlife photographer, ecoturism, wildlife tourism based skills into an enterprise. Along with all this, now educational journey related to wildlife is also being organized for students in every district of the state through Eco Club.
Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also called for a “lifestyle for environment” from the World Forum which is not just a slogan, but a mantra to save the mother. The Chief Minister called upon all the tourists coming to Uttarakhand and said that whenever they go to the jungle safari or any religious tourist place, they should not spread dirt there.
On this occasion, Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said that it is our responsibility to save forest and wildlife. He said that the state can move forward with the combination of economy, ecology and technology. Agriculture Minister Shri Ganesh Joshi, Rajya Sabha MP Shri Naresh Basal, Principal Secretary Mr. RK Sudhanshu, Chief Conservator of Forest Conservator Mr. Sameer Sinha, Chief Conservator of Forests Wildlife Shri Ranjan Kumar Mishra and other officials were present.