- Recently, the Government of Tamil Nadu issued an order to implement ‘Project Dolphin’ under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat program of the Government of India.
- It will be implemented during 2023-2024 at a cost of Rs 8.13 crore.
- Under this, 60% of the amount will be given by the Central Government, while the remaining cost will be borne by the State Government.
‘Project Dolphin’
- This initiative received in-principle approval in the first meeting of the ‘National Ganga Council’ (NGC) chaired by the Prime Minister in the year 2019.
- ‘Project Dolphin’ is one of the activities planned under ‘Arth Ganga’, an ambitious inter-ministerial initiative of the Government approved in the year 2019.
- ‘Project Dolphin’ has been started on the lines of ‘Project Tiger’, it is known that the objective of ‘Project Tiger’ is to help in increasing the population of tigers.
- It has been implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- There is a need to initiate a special conservation program for the Ganges dolphin, which is a national aquatic animal and also an indicator species for the extensive river Ganga in many states.
- Indicator species are often microorganisms or plants, which serve as a measure of the environmental conditions present in a specific area.
- Since the Ganges dolphin is at the top of the food chain, protecting the species and its habitat will ensure the conservation of the river’s aquatic life.
- As of now, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), which implements the government’s flagship scheme Namami Gange, is taking initiatives to save the dolphins.