Wild buffalo protection plan in works in Chhattisgarh; state tiger count rises to 35: Minister

Chhattisgarh Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap on Thursday said his government has been preparing a special plan for the conservation of the state animal, the wild buffalo. Addressing a press conference on achievements of his department in two years at the Chhattisgarh Samvad auditorium in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, Kashyap said the tiger population in the state has increased from 17 in 2022 to 35.

Chhattisgarh Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap on Thursday said his government has been preparing a special plan for the conservation of the state animal, the wild buffalo. He said 14 to 17 wild buffaloes have been sighted in the Indravati Tiger Reserve in Bijapur district of the state. Addressing a press conference on achievements of his department in two years at the Chhattisgarh Samvad auditorium in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, Kashyap said the tiger population in the state has increased from 17 in 2022 to 35. The state has made notable progress in forest conservation, expansion of green cover, wildlife protection, eco-tourism development and livelihood enhancement of forest dwellers. The government has been working continuously towards sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and strengthening the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities, he added. For conservation of the state bird, the hill myna, local youths have been engaged as 'Maina Mitras', resulting in the sighting of 600 to 700 state birds, the minister said. The tiger population in the state has increased from 17 in 2022 to 35. Permission has also been obtained to translocate tigers from other reserves to further boost their numbers, he said. A new tiger reserve Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve has been formed in the state to strengthen tiger conservation efforts, he said. A Bird Interpretation Centre and Bird Safari have been started at Gidhwa-Parsada, which is home to more than 270 bird species. The Kopra reservoir in Bilaspur has been declared the state's first and the country's 96th Ramsar site, which is expected to promote eco-tourism and generate local employment, he said. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance listed under the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. In elephant-affected areas, the 'Gaj Sanket' mobile application is being used to monitor elephant movement and provide timely alerts to villagers. As many as 90 'Haathi Mitra' teams have been formed, and the state currently has 355 elephants, he said. The minister said the Marine Fossil Park in Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district is the largest marine fossil park in Asia. Spread over nearly one kilometre along the Hasdeo river, the site contains fossils dating back about 290 million years. Such marine fossil sites have been identified at only four places in the country, he said. According to a December 2024 report of the Forest Survey of India, Chhattisgarh recorded an increase of about 683 square kilometres in forest and tree cover. Nearly 44 per cent of the state's total geographical area is under forest cover. The increase of 348 square kilometres in very dense forests indicates improvement in forest quality and ecological balance, he said. Under the ''Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0'' campaign, more than 4.20 crore saplings were planted and distributed in 2024 and over 2.79 crore in 2025, he added. Through the 'Kisan Vriksh Mitra Yojana', commercial plantation on private land is being promoted to enhance farmers' income. Eligible beneficiaries receive 100 per cent financial assistance for up to five acres and 50 per cent subsidy beyond that. In the past two years, over 3.67 crore saplings have been planted across 62,441 acres benefiting 36,896 beneficiaries, he said. The State Medicinal Plants Board has also facilitated plantation of medicinal plants in various districts to boost women's income, creating employment opportunities for thousands of women and providing training to traditional healers, Kashyap added.

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