New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday marked World Rhino Day by announcing Project Rhino to provide financial and technical support to states where the greater one-horned rhinoceros is found.
In a post on X, PM Modi lauded wildlife officials, conservationists, forest personnel and local communities for their role in rhino protection, saying India’s conservation efforts have helped strengthen the population of the iconic species. “On World Rhino Day, we celebrate the magnificent greater one-horned rhinoceros and laud all those at the forefront of its protection,” he said.
PM Modi highlighted Assam’s contribution to global rhino conservation, noting that the state now accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the world’s rhino population. He pointed to Kaziranga National Park’s success in combating poaching and protecting the species.
He also highlighted conservation efforts in other rhino-bearing states. “On one hand, rhinos have either returned or are well protected in parts of Bihar and West Bengal. On the other hand, success of reintroduction of rhinos in Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh) is creating history,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister said these developments reflected the sustained commitment of communities, conservationists and governments towards animal protection and active wildlife management across the rhino range states.
Emphasising the need to strengthen species conservation further, PM Modi announced Project Rhino, which aims to support rhino-bearing states through financial and technical assistance. The initiative will focus on multiple aspects of rhino conservation, including animal protection, habitat management, genetic improvement, and a better understanding of population dynamics.
India continues to implement landscape-level conservation measures for the greater one-horned rhinoceros, whose global population is concentrated primarily in India and Nepal. Assam remains India’s most important rhino habitat, with Kaziranga hosting the country’s largest population. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Orang National Park are among other important rhino habitats in the state.
Conservation efforts in Bihar and West Bengal, along with the reintroduction programme at Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh, have also helped expand and secure the species’ range.
PM Modi’s announcement of Project Rhino is expected to provide an institutional framework for strengthening these efforts through coordinated financial, technical and scientific interventions.
(IANS)
