On World Lion Day, PM Modi greets 'those passionate about conserving the majestic big cat'

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 10

On World Lion Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday conveyed greetings to all “those passionate about the conservation of the courageous and majestic big cat, the population of which has increased steadily in the past few years”

“India is proud to be home to the Asiatic Lion. On World Lion Day, I convey my greetings to all those passionate about lion conservation. It would make you happy that the last few years have seen a steady increase in India’s lion population,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said that when he was serving as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he had “the opportunity to work towards ensuring safe and secure habitats for the Gir Lions”.

“When I was serving as Gujarat CM, I had the opportunity to work towards ensuring safe and secure habitats for the Gir Lions. A number of initiatives were taken which involved local communities and global best practices ensuring habitats are safe and tourism also gets a boost,” the Prime Minister added.

Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav joined him, calling lion conservation in India “a great conservation success story that must be told on the day”.

“As many as 674 Asiatic Lion spread across 30,000 sq km reside and thrive in Gujarat. The big cat is re-colonising its lost territories. Let’s continue to build on this”, Yadav added.

The Prime Minister had announced the launching of the Project Lion, which will involve conservation of the Asiatic Lion, and its landscape in a holistic manner, in his Independence Day speech last year.