August 27, 2001

'30'

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND FOR TIGER CONSERVATION

    World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – International does not provide any assistance for Tiger conservation either to Union or State Government in India. WWF-International was supporting the tiger conservation programme run by WWF-India under which financial assistance was provided to State Govt. for supplementing national tiger conservation efforts. WWF-International made a request to Government of India that they would like to have a Regional Office at New Delhi to support tiger Conservation efforts in India and neighbouring countries. The Ministry of Environment and Forests being satisfied with the profile of the then Director, Tiger Conservation programme and WWF-International issued a no objection certificate to this project. The no-objection certificate had to be withdrawn later on account of some inaccuracies about geographical boundaries of India in several publications made by WWF-International and allied institutions. These inaccuracies were brought to the notice of the Ministry of Environment and Forests by the then Secretary General, WWF-India. The WWF-International was upset by these steps. There has been a definite decline in the activities of WWF India-Tiger Conservation Programme after October 1999. Involvement of the representatives of Government of India in programme formulation has also ceased after October, 1999.

    This information was given by the Union Minister of Environment and Forests, Shri T.R. Baalu in reply to a question from the Hon'ble Member, Shri Ramanaidu Daggubati in the Lok Sabha today.