Elephant population up by 346 in Karnataka, says Forest Minister

Vartha Bharati | 09-08-2023 | 18:46:00 IST

Representational Image | PC: IANS

Bengaluru, Aug 09: Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday said the elephant population in the state has increased by 346. Releasing the elephant census report conducted in May this year, he said in 2017 census, there were 6,049 elephants in the state and now there are 6,395 pachyderms.

''Although elephants are mighty wildlife species, they are under threat worldwide, including in India. In order to protect the endangered animal, the World Elephant Day is being celebrated on August 12 to create awareness about conservation of their habitat so that they can also live comfortably,'' the minister said at a press conference here. According to Khandre, the elephant census is conducted every five years and the previous census was held in 2017.

In 2022, an attempt was made to take survey part of the All India Tiger Census but it did not include sample block count and population structure assessment of elephants. This method is very important for census and numerical classification of the jumbos (sex and age), he said. The minister said the elephant census was conducted from May 17 to May 19 this year simultaneously by Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A similar census was conducted in Andhra Pradesh on the same period, he said.

The census was carried out by the Karnataka Forest Department with the technical assistance of the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) headed by Prof R Sukumar, who guided in preparing the format of the census, training the field staff, analysis of census results and report preparation, he said. According to Khandre, more than 3,400 personnel from 32 divisions of the state participated in this elephant census, which was undertaken in three ways – direct enumeration or block enumeration, transect survey or dung count method, and waterhole counting. The census was conducted in 32 divisions of the state and pachyderms were found in 23 divisions. The total number of elephants enumerated directly on the day of survey was 2,219. It was conducted in 6,104 sq km area out of 18,975 sq km area in these 23 divisions, he explained.

''Since this is the first time such a large area has been surveyed, this survey and report are highly accurate and reliable,'' the minister said.

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Dera Sacha Sauda urges followers to support BJP after Gurmeet Singh's parole release

05-10-2024 ¦ 05-10-2024 IST

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh (PTI)

New Delhi: A day after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh was released on a 20-day parole, the sect's headquarters issued a call for its followers to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The appeal was made discreetly during a satsang at the Dera's headquarters in Sirsa on Thursday night, urging the attendees to mobilize additional voters within their local communities.

According to sources, the message was not delivered publicly from the satsang stage as in previous instances. Instead, office-bearers positioned themselves among the attendees and conveyed the directive quietly, asking followers to vote for the BJP and bring at least five additional voters to the polling booths.

Singh, who is currently staying at his Baghpat ashram, reportedly sent the message through an office-bearer in Sirsa. The Dera has traditionally supported the BJP, particularly in Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan. However, following Rahim’s 2017 conviction for raping two of his disciples, the Dera had not openly endorsed any party in the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

This parole release comes just after Singh’s recent 21-day parole, which ended on September 2. His multiple paroles over the past two years have often coincided with elections, drawing scrutiny over the timing of his releases. In 2023, Rahim received a 30-day parole that coincided with the Haryana panchayat elections, while in 2022, he was granted three paroles, one of which overlapped with the Punjab assembly elections.

The Dera’s support for the BJP is seen as a significant move, given its influence among Dalit communities in the region. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Dera openly backed the BJP, contributing to the party’s strong performance in Haryana.