Lok Sabha Question No. 1042 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-22
Subject: Great Indian Bustard
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Bache Gowda B.N.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1042

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.11.2019

## Great Indian Bustard

## 1042.   SHRI B.N. BACHE GOWDA:

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

- (a) whether the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard is nearing extinction;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government for conservation of the Great Indian Bustard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) and (b) The  Critically  Endangered  Great  Indian  Bustard  faces  imminent  risk  of extinction. There has been a decline in population of Great Indian Bustard due to combination of anthropogenic factors, such as historical hunting, conversion of  its  habitat,  grasslands  to  intensive  agriculture,  and  emerging  threats  like mortality due to collision/ electrocution with the power lines in its habitat and nest/predation  by  dogs  and  other  predators  in  its  breeding  sites.  As  per  the estimation of Wildlife Institute of India, the current population of Great Indian Bustard  is  estimated  to  be  about  130-150  birds  with  the  majority  of  the population  in  Jaisalmer  Rajasthan  at  about  120  birds,  Gujarat  with  6  female birds,  Maharashtra,  Andhra  Pradesh  and  Karnataka  combined  about  15-25 birds.
- (c) Steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  for  conservation  of  Great  Indian Bustards are as given below:
- i. The  Great  Indian  Bustard  is listed in  Schedule-I of the Wild  Life (Protection)  Act,  1972,  thereby,  according  them  highest  degree  of  legal protection from hunting.
- ii. Important  habitats  of  Great  Indian  Bustards  are  designated  as  National

Parks/ Sanctuaries for their better protection.

- iii. The species has been identified for conservation efforts under the component  'Species  Recovery  Programme'  of  the  Centrally  Sponsored Scheme (CSS) - Development of Wildlife Habitat. Financial and technical assistance is provided to the State/ Union Territory Governments under the Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Development  of  Wildlife  Habitat  for providing better protection to Great Indian Bustard and its habitat.
- iv. Ministry has taken up an initiative on conservation breeding of the Great Indian  Bustard  in  collaboration  with  Rajasthan,  Gujarat  and  Maharashtra Forest Departments and technical support from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. The Ministry with financial support from National Authority for Compensatory Afforestation Funds has sanctioned an outlay of Rs. 33.85 crores  for  the  duration  of  five  years  for  the  programme  titled  'Habitat Improvement  and  Conservation  Breeding  of  Great  Indian  Bustard-an integrated approach'. The important objective of this programme is to build up captive population of Great Indian Bustard and to release the chicks in the wild for increasing the population and also to  promote in-situ conservation of the species.
- v. In  consultation  with  State  Government,  Wildlife  Institute  of  India  and international  experts,  a  site  for  establishment  of  Conservation  breeding Centre  has  been  identified  in  Kota  District,  Rajasthan  under  the  above mentioned  project.  Currently  a  facility  with  incubator,  hatcher,  chick rearing and housing for captive birds (upto 1 year age) has been set up at Sam,  Jaisalmer,  Rajasthan  and  is  managed  by  WII  Scientists,  Rajasthan Forest Department with the technical assistance of the International Fund for  Houbara  Conservation  and  Reneco,  Abu  Dhabi  who  have  a  vast experience  in  breeding  the  related  Houbara  and  Arabian  Bustards  in captivity.
- vi. Ministry  has  also  constituted  a  Task  Force  for  suggesting  Eco-friendly measures to mitigate impacts of power transmission lines and other power transmission infrastructures on wildlife including the Great Indian Bustard.
- vii. Ministry  has  requested  the  Ministry  of  New  and  Renewable  Energy  and Ministry  of  Power  to  direct  the  power  supply  agencies  to  implement  the mitigation measures such as installation of bird  diverters on power lines, undergrounding  of  power  lines  upto  33  KV,  painting  of  vanes  of  wind turbines etc.