PM Modi announces Project Dolphin in I-Day speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced Project Dolphin in his Independence Day speech. He said the government of India will launch the 10-year "Project Gangetic Dolphin" for giving a stronger impetus for conservation and protection of the species.

New Delhi: On the occasion of 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Project Dolphin to conserve Dolphins and aquatic habitat by the use of modern technology especially in enumeration and anti-poaching activities.

This project is in line with Project Tiger and Project Elephant. Project Dolphin will engage fishermen and other river and ocean dependent population and will strive hard for improving the livelihood of local communities, said Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in a statement.

Dolphins were declared as the National Aquatic species in 2010 as they are the flagship species for monitoring the conservation status of rivers. The conservation of Dolphin will also envisage activities which will help in the mitigation of pollution in rivers and oceans.

"Being an indicator species of river ecosystems, river pollution and thereby improving the availability of fish and enhancing economies of local communities, through sustainable fishery, eco-tourism, dolphins are a very essential part of the entire system" the Environment Ministry said.

The Government of India will launch a 10 year "Project Gangetic Dolphin" for giving a stronger impetus for conservation and protection of species. The Gangetic River Dolphin is found in Ganges-Brahmputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli River system in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. In India, these dolphins are sighted along deep river reaches in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

As per the assessment report, currently, there are about 3700 Gangetic river Dolphins in the Indian river systems.

"The project will also work in close tandem and cooperation of various Ministries, Departments and scientific organisations civil society organisations like Ministry Of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Rural Development, State Governments," said the statement.