Bhubaneswar: In order to enhance capacity building, community awareness, and infrastructure around the buffer areas in Similipal National Park, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia announced a substantial allocation of Rs 50 crore under the ‘Ama Similipal Yojana’ at the concluding ceremony of state-level Wildlife Week celebrations here Thursday.
“Our government has significantly advanced wildlife conservation. With Similipal now a National Park, we are investing not just in protection but also in the people who share space with wildlife.
A special armed police force is in place to ensure round-the-year security,” said Minister Singkhuntia. He also highlighted the state’s growing ecotourism sector, now spread across 53 sites in 21 districts, generating both revenue and livelihoods.
In 2024-25, over 1.7 lakh tourists visited these sites, generating Rs 19 crore in revenue. The minister further dedicated three new ecotourism destinations, Mahendragiri, Jakham, and Talabandha in Similipal, to enhance visitor experience and local engagement.
Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, along with other dignitaries and officials, graced the concluding ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, Kambhampati urged citizens to become active protectors of nature, stressing that government policies and programmes alone cannot ensure environmental protection.
He noted that Wildlife Week, observed across India, serves as a reminder of the collective responsibility to preserve the nation’s living heritage.
This year’s theme, “Human-Wildlife Coexistence,” underscores the need to move beyond conflict and embrace shared responsibility in safeguarding the natural world.
The Governor called for a holistic approach, one that includes protecting and restoring wildlife corridors, leveraging modern tools such as drone surveillance and GPS tracking, and engaging communities, youth, and traditional knowledge to promote peaceful coexistence.
PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden PK Jha, in his address, emphasised the vital role of collective responsibility and the state’s sustained efforts in wildlife preservation.
The prestigious state-level Chief Minister Award for Wildlife Conservation 2025 was conferred upon Sarat Chandra Misra, a distinguished Indian orchidologist and botanist renowned for his work in documenting India’s orchids, particularly those native to Odisha.
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