President Droupadi Murmu inaugurates Gaj Utsav-2023 at Kaziranga

‘Protecting elephants an important part of our national responsibility’

GUWAHATI: “There is a very sacred relationship between nature and humanity. The culture of respecting nature has been the identity of our country. In India, nature and culture have been linked to each other and have been receiving nourishment from each other. Elephants have been most respected in our tradition. It has been considered a symbol of prosperity. It is the National Heritage Animal of India. Therefore, protecting elephants is an important part of our national responsibility to preserve our national heritage,” said President Droupadi Murmu.

The President today inaugurated the Gaj Utsav at Kaziranga National Park. The two-day Gaj Utsav is being celebrated synchronizing with the completion of 30 years of Project Elephant which was started in the year 1992 for the protection and conservation of elephants.

The President, while speaking on the occasion, said that the responsibility of man-elephant conflicts rests on the human society. “The forests and green areas of elephant reserves are very effective carbon sinks. Therefore, it can be said that all of us will be benefited by the conservation of elephants and it will also help in facing the challenges of climate change. Participation of society along with the government is necessary in such efforts.”

The President said that elephants are considered as very intelligent and sensitive animals. They are also social animals like humans. “We should have the same sense of sympathy and respect for elephants and other living beings as we have for humans. We can learn the feeling of selfless love from animals and birds,” she said.

Speaking about the human-elephant conflict, the President said,“The human-elephant conflict has been an issue for centuries. And when we analyze this conflict, it is found that a barrier created in the natural habitat or movement of elephants is the root cause. Therefore, the responsibility of this conflict lies with the human society.”

She asserted that protecting elephants, conserving their natural habitats and keeping elephant corridors free from obstruction are the main objectives of Project Elephant. Solving the problems related to human-elephant is also the aim of this project. She said that all these objectives are related to each other.

The President said that Kaziranga and Manas National Parks of Assam are an invaluable heritage not only of India but of the whole world. That is why these have been given the status of ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO.

“Assam has the second largest population of wild elephants in the country. Therefore, Kaziranga is a very apt place for organizing the Gaj Utsav,” Murmu said.

She emphasized that for the success of Project Elephant and Gaj Utsav, all the stakeholders would have to move forward together.

Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria also attended the Gaj Utsav- 2023. Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said, “Assam has been doing a lot of activities towards protection and conservation of elephants. This Gaj Utsav will help the State in augmenting its efforts towards elephant protection.”

The Governor also said that Assam is already blessed with reserve forests, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks scattered across the State. These forests provide ideal habitats for the elephant population. Therefore, this Gaj Utsav will give the State a new momentum to take the elephant project to its logical conclusion.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Elephants are integral to India’s civilizational heritage and their conservation is of national importance. Therefore, our government is taking a series of steps for the conservation of elephants.”

He said that along with five elephant reserves, there are nine elephant ranges in the State. He said that in order to establish link with their habitats, the State Government has earmarked 12 elephant corridors. For safeguarding the corridors, the State Government has been working relentlessly. He said that as per the National Green Tribunal, steps have been taken to build ramp over six elephant corridors crisscrossing the railway lines through Rani Reserve Forests. He added that in the Kaziranga National Park, the State Government has also taken steps to build 34.8 KM elevated corridors bridging nine animal corridors on both sides of the national highway with an estimated project cost of Rs 4926.01 crore.

The Chief Minister said that the relationship between humans and elephants is an integral part of the ancient civilization and culture. The relationship between elephants and humans has been there since the time of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. He said that elephants have been an integral part of the life of the people of Assam since a long time. He said elephants also played an important role in the military exercises during the ancient period and during Ahom rule.

The Chief Minister said that the State Government has launched an eviction drive in encroached areas of reserved forests, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. In the past few months, the State forest department cleared about 5,299 hectares of land from encroachers. The Chief Minister said that the victims of the man-elephant were given immediate assistance and compensation.

Union Minister for Environment Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of State for Environment Forests and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Assam Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

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