There is difference of opinion within the Forest Department in the State over the Centre’s move to merge Project Tiger and Project Elephant, while activists are miffed and have sharply criticised it as dilution of focus of both the programmes.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced the merger of the two flagship programmes in April and notified Project Tiger (PT) as Project Tiger and Elephant (PTE).
The new division received an administrative authority in June with the Additional Director-General of Forests – Project Tiger (ADG-PT) being redesignated as ADGF (PT &E). Besides, the Inspector-General of Forests PT has been made to report to ADGF (PT & E) and this has resulted in apprehension that Project Tiger is set to lose its identity.