Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh slams Centre for taking credit for Great Indian Bustard conservation in Kutch

New Delhi: Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that he had called for the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard, after which the then Gujarat Chief Minister (now PM) Narendra Modi started working on protecting the bird's natural habitat.

The birth of a Great Indian Bustard ('Ghorad') chick in the Abdasa region of Kutch on Thursday, after a decade, marked a historic moment. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that this was the result of PM Modi's vision in 2011 and the launch of Project GIB in 2016.

However, citing his letter to PM Modi in 2010, Jairam Ramesh stated that he had suggested the conservation and revival of the Great Indian Bustard. He added that in March 1961, ornithologist Salim Ali had wanted the Great Indian Bustard to be declared the national bird as it was facing extinction.


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Sharing an expert from his book 'Green Signals', Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, "As usual, all credit is being given to the PM for the initiative to protect the Great Indian Bustard in Gujarat. It is being put out that he thought of this idea in 2011. Just as a matter of historical interest, on June 9, 2010, the then Union Minister of Environment and Forests had written to the then CM of Gujarat calling for conservation efforts to revive the Great Indian Bustard population in the grasslands of Kutch. Professionals involved know this background."

Reiterating his "non-biological being" jibe at PM Modi, he added, "Incidentally, in March 1961, India's greatest ornithologist, Salim Ali, had wanted the Great Indian Bustard declared as the national bird because it was facing extinction. But in Dec 1963, the Indian Board of Wildlife, chaired by Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar of Mysore, chose the peacock for what it called compelling historical, mythological, religious, and cultural reasons. As proud as a peacock goes the saying. It has serious competition, though, from a non-biological being."

This comes after Bhupender Yadav, in a statement, announced the birth of the Ghorad's chick and said, "Gujarat sees a GIB chick after a decade, through a novel conservation measure - the jumpstart approach, coordinated by the Ministry, State Forest Departments of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and Wildlife Institute of India."

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"Envisioned by PM Narendra Modi ji in 2011 to conserve GIB in its natural habitats, including Gujarat, Project GIB was launched in 2016," Yadav added.

With the absence of male birds in the Ghorad population in Kutch, a fertile egg of the Great Indian Bustard was collected from a breeding centre in Rajasthan and transported to Kutch through a continuous 19-hour road journey in a portable incubator.

On March 22, the infertile egg in the nest of a female Ghorad in Kutch was replaced with the fertile egg. The female bird incubated the egg naturally, and on March 26, a healthy chick was born.