Lok Sabha Question No. 3141 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-21
Subject: Special Tiger Protection Force
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3141

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.03.2017

## Special Tiger Protection Force

## 3141.  SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether a proposal is under consideration to constitute Special Tiger Protection Force for protection of tigers through National Tiger Conservation Authority and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the State Government of Rajasthan has sent any such proposal to the Government and if so, the details and status thereof;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to make some contribution for this force;
- (d) whether the Government has any proposal to bring tigers to Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve in the near future; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a) Based  on  budget  speech  of  the  then  Finance  Minister  in  2008,  raising,  arming  and deploying Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) was envisaged for 13 tiger reserves namely - Ranthambhore (Rajasthan), Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh), Corbett (Uttarakhand), Bandipur  (Karnataka),  Kanha  (Madhya  Pradesh),  Bandhavgarh  (Madhya  Pradesh), Pench (Madhya Pradesh), Tadoba-Andhari (Maharashtra), Pench (Maharashtra), Similipal  (Odisha),  Kaziranga  (Assam),  Pakke  (Arunachal  Pradesh)  and  Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu).  Subsequently, 4 more tiger reserves, Nawegoan-Nagzira and Melghat (Maharashtra),  Kawal  and  Amrabad  (Telangana)  Tiger  Reserves  included.    The said force is operational in 7 tiger reserves and the details are at Annexure-I .
- (b) Ranthambhore  Tiger  Reserve  in  Rajasthan  was  one  of  the  thirteen  tiger  reserves covered  by  the  constitution  of  STPF.    Accordingly,  the  said  force  is  operational  in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve.
- (c) Funding  assistance  is  provided  to  the  tiger  reserves  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger for various activities which, inter  alia, includes funding for Special Tiger Protection Force.
- (d) & (e) Approval of the Government of India has been conveyed to the State of Rajasthan for Tiger re-introduction by December, 2018, as per Standard Operating Procedure of the National Tiger Conservation Authority on 'Active Management towards rehabilitation of Tigers from source areas at the landscape level'.  This includes associated activities such  as  habitat  development  and  augmentation,  voluntary  village  relocation  and retrofitting  for  existing  infrastructure  to  be  carried  out  simultaneously  by  the  State Government.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3141 ON SPECIAL TIGER PROTECTION FORCE DUE FOR REPLY ON 21.03.2017

## Name of tiger reserves where the Special Tiger Protection Force is operational

|   Sl. No. | State       | Tiger Reserve    |
|-----------|-------------|------------------|
|         1 | Maharashtra | Tadoba-Andhari   |
|         2 | Maharashtra | Pench            |
|         3 | Maharashtra | Melghat          |
|         4 | Maharashtra | Nawegaon-Nagzira |
|         5 | Odisha      | Similipal        |
|         6 | Karnataka   | Bandipur         |
|         7 | Rajasthan   | Ranthambhore     |

***