New Delhi, July 29: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday hailed the country’s ‘Project Tiger’ launched by former prime minister Indira Gandhi saying it not only focused on the conservation of big cats but also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat. In a tweet, Kharge hailed the role of Indira Gandhi for launching the Project Tiger in 1973.

“India has done extremely well to save the tiger using ‘Project Tiger’, a unique conservation programme launched by Indira Gandhi, 50 years ago. Project Tiger didn’t just focus on the conservation of the big cats. It also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat,” Kharge said. International Tiger Day 2023: From Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka to Kaziranga Tiger Reserve in Assam, 5 Popular Tiger Reserves in India That You Should Visit.

Mallikarjun Kharge Tweets on International Tiger Day 2023

“While inaugurating the programme, Indira Gandhi had said: ‘The tiger cannot be preserved in isolation. It is at the apex of a large and complex biotope. Its habitat, threatened by human intrusion, commercial forestry and cattle grazing, must first be made inviolate.’ Today, 70 per cent of the tiger population of the world is in India. On International Tiger Day, let us continue protecting this majestic animal and our myriad flora and fauna,” Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said. When is International Tiger Day 2023? Know Date and Significance of the Day That Highlights the Need to Protect Tigers.

India has 3,167 tigers according to the 2022 tiger census which is about 75 per cent of the global numbers. Project Tiger was started 50 years ago in 1973 when the count was just 268.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2023 04:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).