Madhya Pradesh govt refuses RTI info on Project Cheetah
New Delhi (PTI): The Madhya Pradesh forest department has refused to provide information under the Right to Information Act on management of cheetahs brought from Africa and their cubs born in India.
In response to a request filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, the department cited Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act, which allows a public authority to withhold information if its disclosure would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific, or economic interests of the State, relations with a foreign State, or lead to the incitement of an offence.
Dubey had requested the state forest department to provide "management correspondence records of the Cheetah Project in Kuno and Mandsaur".
In his response, Saurav Kumar Kabra, Public Information Officer in the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Madhya Pradesh, said: "The information (under point number 2) is related to the management branch, which has decided not to provide information under Section 8(1)(a) of the Right to Information Act, 2005."
Dubey said this is the first time that information on Project Cheetah has been denied under RTI Act since the launch of the programme with the release of eight Namibian cheetahs into Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park on September 17, 2022.
Dubey had previously received information under RTI on the health of the first cheetah cub born on Indian terrain.
Information obtained by Dubey revealed that the cub's right leg was fractured on November 28.
"I have been disclosing irregularities in the conservation of big cats since 2013, but this is the first time I received a reply stating that disclosure of information about cheetahs will affect national security or relations with foreign countries," Dubey told PTI.
The first batch of eight cheetahs was introduced in India in September 2022, and the second batch of 12 cheetahs was flown in from South Africa last February.
The government now plans to introduce cheetahs into a fenced area in the Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, possibly by the end of the year, with a focus on breeding.
A proposal to set up a cheetah conservation breeding centre in Gujarat's Banni grasslands was also cleared by the Central Zoo Authority in February.
According to a document released by the Union Environment Ministry earlier this year, the long-term goal is to establish a metapopulation of cheetahs in the Kuno-Gandhisagar landscape (an area of around 9,000 sq km) of 60-70 individuals after restorative measures, prey availability, and scientific management are ensured.
The much-vaunted cheetah conservation project initially drew criticism due to the animals' deaths. However, with the birth of 12 cubs this year, officials say the project is on the right track.
Namibian cheetah Aasha gave birth to three cubs in January. Jwala, another female cheetah from Namibia, also gave birth to three cubs in the same month. She had delivered four cubs last year, but only one of them survived.
With South African cheetah Gamini giving birth to six cubs in March, the total number of cheetahs, including cubs, in Kuno is now 26.
Since last March, seven adult cheetahs, including Shaurya, have died due to various reasons.
The seven adult cheetahs - three females and four males - who died include Sasha, Uday, Daksha, Tejas, Suraj, Dhatri, and Shaurya.
The first six fatalities occurred in a six-month period between March and August 2023.
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BJP intends to incite violence by playing DJ in UP elections: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday claimed that the "BJP intends to play DJs at full volume" during their campaign in Uttar Pradesh elections to deliberately "spread hatred and incite violence" in the state.
Speaking to reporters at the party office in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav said, "This time, the elections will be contested in Uttar Pradesh through the DJs. They intend to use DJs extensively to spread hatred and incite violence. If objectionable songs are played, there will naturally be a response from the opposing side. This appears to be yet another new conspiracy of the BJP. We have already warned the public about this."
The assembly elections are due early next year in the state.
He also referred to the recent deaths of as many as 140 chickens at a farm due to loud music from a wedding procession in Sultanpur district, with police registering a case against the DJ in this connection.
"Chickens are losing their lives due to the sound of a DJ. In fact, if a person with a weak heart were to walk past a DJ, they too could find themselves in a problem. The sound waves are so strong," Yadav said.
Referring to the cell broadcast alert system launched on Saturday, the SP chief said, "The mobile phone was switched off. The ringer was off. Yet, an alert will still appear on the device. Just think, what exactly is this preparation for? The entire BJP contests elections by creating fear, by intimidating you."
Mobile phones across the country went abuzz after Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched the cell broadcast alert system on Saturday, which will warn citizens about emergency and natural disasters in their area.
Comparing the BJP with 'Soan Papdi' (a popular sweet), Yadav said, "The BJP is a 'Soan Papdi' made of lies. They simply stack one layer of falsehood upon another. Propaganda constitutes the BJP's targeted campaign strategy. They contest elections by instilling fear in the public.
The BJP has failed to curb both inflation and corruption. Instead, they allowed their own associates to engage in profiteering, a practice that has driven both inflation and corruption to unprecedented levels." Yadav stated.
He said that the rising prices of petrol, diesel, and cooking gas inevitably drive up the cost of everything, from food and daily essentials to transportation. The common people have been "devastated by the BJP's misguided policies".
He also claimed that the government's fee structure is such that children from poor families cannot afford to study.
"It was for this very reason that 'Netaji' (Mulayam Singh Yadav) launched the 'Kanya Vidyadhan Yojana' to ensure that daughters from underprivileged families could pursue their education, advance in life, and achieve success. The promise we made regarding free education for daughters --- from KG to PG is a promise we will fulfil and deliver upon," he said.
He added that the Women's Reservation Bill has been passed by Parliament and enacted into law. However, the BJP is currently engaging in false propaganda regarding this legislation. The BJP's intentions concerning women's reservation have never been transparent. They are running a deceptive campaign specifically designed to mislead both the general public and women.
Yadav claimed that under the BJP government, all previous records regarding corruption and dishonesty have been shattered.
"The public is being fleeced under the pretext of installing 'smart meters. ' The implementation of smart meters has become a vehicle for large-scale fraud. If such dishonesty is possible with smart meters, how can Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) be considered secure? Why would it not be possible to manipulate EVMs as well?" he said.
The SP chief also said that the BJP government has completely ruined the state's education, healthcare, and law and order systems. This government has shut down 21,000 primary schools. In over 41,000 primary schools, not a single admission has been recorded. In Gorakhpur, thousands of teaching positions have been abolished.
Under the BJP government, water tanks being constructed under the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' are continuously collapsing due to corruption. These tanks are "unable to bear the weight of the BJP's corruption". The pipeline of this corruption, involving the water tanks, likely extends all the way to Kalidas Marg, he said, and expressed his gratitude to the Army officials and congratulated them for saving the lives of children during the incident involving the water tank in Siddharthnagar district.
To a question on World Press Freedom Day, where India ranked at the 157th spot, Akhilesh Yadav, in a lighter vein, said, "We will run a scheme -- give 'cash' less' laptop bags. But here the 'less' should be understood in Hindi. We will give a filled laptop bag to you."
On this occasion, Yadav also distributed laptops to meritorious students who had passed class 10th and class 12th examinations with high marks.
The former chief minister also said, "The Samajwadi Party launched the laptop distribution scheme precisely to bridge the digital divide existing between the pre- and post-digital eras."
