Tiger count up..

2,976 is the present tiger population in India, Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar told Rajya Sabha on Monday

2,226 was the tiger population during the previous count, the minister said during the question hour 

Increase in Forest cover too: Union Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar said India’s geographical area of forest cover has increased by 17,374 sq km between 2007 and 2017

7.08 lakh sq km India’s forest cover; it’s 21.54% of the total geographical area

93.81 sq km is estimated tree cover, which is 2.85% of geogrpaphical area

DRI to post Customs officers in London, HK   

New Delhi: India is looking for suitable officers for posting as Customs sleuths in London, Hong Kong, Dubai and Brussels in an effort to check trade-based money laundering among others, officials said on Monday. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the lead agency to check customs frauds and smuggling, has started the process of selecting customs overseas intelligence network officers for these places. pti

Sena MP’s car runs over spotted deer  

Mumbai: A car belonging to Shiv Sena MP from Palghar (near Mumbai) Rajendra Gavit knocked down and killed a spotted deer at Sanjay Gandhi National Park here, an official said. Gavit was not in the vehicle when the incident took place last Wednesday near the main gate of the park, he said. A case has been registered against the SUV's driver under provisions of the Wildlife Act. pti

UP Police finally bids adieu to .303 rifles 

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police has finally bid adieu to the .303 Lee-Enfield rifles in use since 1945. The force will now use Insas (Indian Small Arms System) and SLRs (Self-Loading Rifles). DGP OP Singh said the Lee-Enfield rifles were prone to failure and required a lot of maintenance. About 63,000 Insas and 23,000 SLRs have been sent to police stations all across UP, he said. ians