PM Modi Visits Kaziranga National Park In Assam: The Home of the One-Horned Rhino
Assam – Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Assam, where he will stay overnight at the Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO Heritage Site renowned for its one-horned rhinos.
Modi is the first prime minister to spend the night at the park since 1957, when Jawaharlal Nehru visited it with his daughter Indira Gandhi. Modi’s visit is expected to boost the tourism and conservation efforts in the park, as well as inaugurate and lay the foundation of several development projects in the state.
PM Modi arrives at Tezpur in Assam; heads to Kaziranga National Park
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) March 8, 2024
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Kaziranga: A Wildlife Wonderland
Kaziranga National Park, located in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam, covers an area of 430 square kilometers along the Brahmaputra river. The park is home to more than 2,200 Indian one-horned rhinoceroses, which constitute about two-thirds of their total world population.
The park also hosts the highest density of tigers among the protected areas in the world, and has been declared a Tiger Reserve since 2006. Other notable animals found in the park include Asian elephants, wild water buffaloes, swamp deer, gaur, sambar, hog deer, sloth bears, leopards, wild boars, and many species of birds, reptiles, and fish.
The park was established in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon, the wife of the then Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, who was moved by the plight of the rhinos due to hunting and poaching. The park was initially a reserved forest, and later became a wildlife sanctuary in 1950, a national park in 1974, and a World Heritage Site in 1985. The park is managed by the Assam Forest Department, with the support of various NGOs and local communities.
The park faces several challenges, such as floods, erosion, encroachment, poaching, and human-animal conflicts, but has also witnessed remarkable success stories, such as the translocation and rehabilitation of rhinos, the increase in tiger population, and the involvement of local youth in conservation activities.
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Modi’s Visit: A Historic and Symbolic Gesture
PM Narendra Modi arrived at Tezpur airport on Friday afternoon, where he was received by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other dignitaries. He then flew to Panbari in Kaziranga in a helicopter, and reached the Assam Police Guest House near the Central Kohora Range of the park, where he will spend the night.
The park has been spruced up to welcome the prime minister, with a cleanliness drive, security arrangements, and infrastructure development. The prime minister is expected to spend two hours in the park on Saturday morning and may undertake a jeep or elephant safari to witness the wildlife and the natural beauty of the park. He may also interact with the forest staff and the local communities who live around the park.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Assam's Kaziranga National Park today, where he will stay overnight and take a safari tomorrow morning. pic.twitter.com/QeOtbcyQMN
— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2024
Modi’s visit to Kaziranga is a historic and symbolic gesture, as he is the first prime minister to stay overnight at the park, and the third to visit it after Nehru and Manmohan Singh. Modi’s visit is also significant as it comes ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, where Assam is a key state for the BJP.
Modi’s visit is likely to showcase the central government’s commitment to the development and welfare of Assam, as well as to the conservation and promotion of its rich biodiversity and cultural heritage.
Modi will also inaugurate and lay the foundation of several projects in the state, worth around Rs 18,000 crore, in the fields of health, education, energy, infrastructure, and tourism. Some of the major projects include:
- The Tinsukia Medical College and the Sivasagar Medical College under the PM-DIVINE scheme, which aims to provide quality medical education and healthcare facilities in the northeastern states.
- The expansion of Digboi Refinery from 0.65 million metric tonnes (MMT) to 1 MMT, and the expansion of Guwahati Refinery from 1 MMT to 1.2 MMT, which will enhance the oil refining capacity and the production of petroleum products in the state.
- The 125-ft high ‘Statue of Valour’ of legendary Ahom general Lachit Barphukan, who defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671, and is regarded as a symbol of Assamese pride and patriotism.
- The Meleng Meteli Pothar, a cultural and historical site, where Modi will address a public meeting and launch various schemes and initiatives for the welfare of the tea garden workers, the women, the youth, and the farmers of the state.
Narendra Modi’s visit to Assam is expected to generate a lot of enthusiasm and excitement among the people of the state, especially the wildlife lovers, the tourism industry, and the BJP supporters. Modi’s visit is also likely to attract national and international attention, and highlight the importance and potential of Kaziranga National Park as a world-class destination for wildlife tourism and conservation.
Modi’s visit is a rare opportunity for the people of Assam to witness the prime minister’s love and respect for the nature and the culture of the state, and to hope for a brighter and better future for themselves and their state.
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