Highlights
- Renaming Chandigarh airport will be a tribute to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, said PM Modi
- In the wake of cheetahs brought from Namibia, PM Modi suggest how humans should treat animals
- He added that a task force will monitor cheetahs
Mann Ki Baat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that Chandigarh airport will now be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh as a tribute to the great freedom fighter.
Chandigarh airport will now be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh, said PM Modi in the 93rd episode of his monthly Mann ki Baat address.
"As a tribute to the great freedom fighter, it has been decided that the Chandigarh airport will now be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh," said Modi.
PM Modi requested people to share their views on the campaign for naming cheetahs brought to India from Nambia last week.
The cheetahs were released in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park.
"It will be great if the naming of cheetahs is in tune with our traditions. Also, suggest how humans should treat animals. Participate in this contest & maybe you could be the 1st one to witness the cheetahs," PM Modi added.
He further said that people from many corners of the country expressed happiness over the return of cheetahs and 1.3 crore Indians were elated and filled with pride.
He added that a task force will monitor cheetahs, on the basis of which it will be decided when people can visit the cheetahs.
The cheetahs were declared extinct from India in 1952 but on September 17, eight cheetahs (5 females and 3 males) were brought from Africa's Namibia as part of 'Project Cheetah' and the government's efforts to revitalise and diversify the country's wildlife and habitat.
PM Modi released cheetahs at two release points in Kuno National Park.
'Project Cheetah', under which the BJP government at the Centre reintroduced big cats in the country with the support of Nambia, is the government's endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation.
The eight cheetahs were brought in a cargo aircraft in Gwalior as part of an inter-continental cheetah translocation project.
Later, the Indian Air Force choppers carried the cheetahs to Kuno National Park from Gwalior Air Force Station.
Radio collars have been installed in all the cheetahs to be monitored through satellite. Apart from this, there is a dedicated monitoring team behind each cheetah who will be monitoring their location for 24 hours.
Cheetahs have been brought under an MoU signed earlier this year.
Under the ambitious Project Cheetah of the Indian government, the reintroduction of wild species particularly cheetah was undertaken as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.
India has a long history of wildlife conservation. One of the most successful wildlife conservation ventures 'Project Tiger', which was initiated way back in 1972, has not only contributed to the conservation of tigers but also to the entire ecosystem.
In continuation of this, the reintroduction of cheetahs is one step ahead and a milestone in the history of wildlife conservation in India.
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