India now working on project lion, project dolphin: PM at G20 environment meet

India has consistently been at the forefront of taking action on biodiversity conservation, protection and enrichment, PM Modi said.

(News Agency)- Addressing the G20 environment and climate sustainability ministerial meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India is one of the top five countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity. India has consistently been at the forefront of taking action on biodiversity conservation, protection and enrichment, PM Modi said.
"We have also set a target of attaining net zero by 2070. We continue to collaborate with our partners through our alliance including the international solar alliance, CDRI and the leadership group for industry transition," the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by ANI.
He also spoke about the International big cat alliance launched by India for the conservation of seven big cats. India has recently launched the international Big Cat Alliance for the conservation of 7 big cats on our planet. It is based on our learnings from Project Tiger, a pioneering conservation initiative. As a result of Project Tiger, 70% of the world's tigers are found in India. We are also working on Project Lion and Project Dolphin," he said. With the aim to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade, PM Modi in April launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) in Karnataka.
According to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the IBCA will focus on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats of the world -- Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar and Cheetah. In July 2019, PM Modi called for an Alliance of Global Leaders to firmly curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in Asia.
'INDIA A MEGA DIVERSE COUNTRY'
India is a mega-diverse country and the nation has consistently been at the forefront in taking action on biodiversity conservation, protection, restoration and enrichment. "Through the 'Gandhinagar Implementation Roadmap and Platform', you are recognising restoration in priority landscapes impacted by forest fires and mining," he said.
India's initiatives are powered by people's participation, he said and pointed to the "Mission Amrit Sarovar," a unique water conservation initiative. Under this mission, more than 63,000 water bodies have been developed in just about one year. This mission is implemented entirely through community participation, and aided by technology.
'Our "Catch the Rain" campaign has also shown excellent results. To conserve water, more than two hundred and eighty thousand water harvesting structures have been constructed through this campaign," he added.
In addition, nearly two hundred and fifty thousand re-use and recharge structures have also been constructed. All this was achieved through people's participation and focused on local soil and water conditions, he said.
Also, community participation was effectively used in the "Namami Gange Mission" for cleaning the river Ganga. This has led to a major achievement in the reappearance of the Gangetic Dolphin in many stretches of the river. "Our efforts in wetland conservation have also borne fruit," the Prime Minister added.