Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appreciation of the ‘Baagh Mitr’ (friends of tiger) programme will infuse new enthusiasm and energy among them.
In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, “Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji has made a special mention of the ‘Baagh Mitr Karyakram’ being run in the Pilibhit district in today’s @mannkibaat programme.
“His appreciation of the ‘Baagh Mitr Karyakram’ in this programme will definitely infuse new enthusiasm and energy in all the ‘Baagh Mitrs’. Under the leadership of the prime minister, we are committed to the conservation of tigers.”
In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the ‘Baagh Mitr Karykram’ being undertaken in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit is also creating a buzz. Under this, the local people are trained to work as ‘Baagh Mitr’. These ‘Baagh Mitr’ strictly ensure that there is no conflict between tigers and humans.
International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 every year to raise awareness about tiger conservation.
Throwing light on the ‘Baagh Mitr Karyakram’, the UP government in a statement on Sunday said this initiative, launched in 2019 under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, aims to significantly reduce human-wildlife conflict in the area, which was rampant previously.
In October 2023, CM Adityanath had introduced the ‘Baagh Mitr’ app in Pilibhit.
More than 120 individuals, including young people, elderly citizens, and four women, are part of the ‘Baagh Mitr’ network. They use a WhatsApp group to report sightings of tigers or other wildlife, enabling the forest department to promptly respond and ensure public safety by tracking the animals’ locations.
Manish Singh, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, said, “Pilibhit used to experience frequent incidents of human-wildlife conflict. To address this issue, the ‘Baagh Mitr’ programme was launched in 2019 under the guidance of Chief Minister Adityanath, aiming to reduce these conflicts effectively.
The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, established in 2014, initially had 24 tigers. Conservation programmes were implemented following the state government’s directives, significantly increasing the tiger population. A tiger census conducted in Pilibhit in 2022 revealed that their population had tripled over eight years, with 72 tigers residing in the reserve, the statement said.
Singh said the volunteers must be above 18 years of age to become a ‘Baagh Mitr’. The Forest Department trained five villagers from remote areas near the forest to be ‘Baagh Mitr.’ The DFO said that if a tiger or any other animal is spotted outside the forest, the ‘Baagh Mitr’ are instructed to notify the WhatsApp group and the department by phone immediately.
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