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Aware of deaths of wild animals, Environment Minister tells Lok Sabha

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New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) In the wake of reports on 106 leopard deaths in two months, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan told the Lok Sabh on Friday that the population of wild animals in India had increased due to efforts of state wildlife departments.

In a written reply, he said his Ministry is aware of the death of wild animals, including leopards, and attributed them to factors like ageing, diseases, infighting, and poaching.

“The Ministry is aware of the death of wild animals, including leopards, in various parts of the country. The death of wild animals is attributed to factors like ageing, diseases, infighting, poaching etc.”

He was replying to queries raised by Congress members Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gaurav Gogoi.

On March 4, IANS reported that as many as 106 leopards had died in the first two months of 2018 in forests across the country — a number that conservationists and officials said was “alarmingly high”.

The IANS report was based on data shared by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) which said that the maximum number of deaths were due to poaching, while only 12 of the big cats died of clear natural causes.

The Minister said management and protection of wildlife is primarily the responsibility of State or Union Territory concerned and that the information on the death of wild animals is “not collated” by the Ministry.

“Due to effective management and enforcement of laws by state Forest Departments, the population of several wild animals like tigers, lions, rhinos and elephants have increased,” Vardhan said.

The Minister said that the Centre, however, provides financial assistance to the state governments through several central schemes.

For financial year 2016-17, the Minister said, around Rs 90 crore (Rs 61 crore in 2015-16) were provided to 29 states and UTs under the ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat’; over Rs 343 crore (Rs 154 crore in 2015-16) to 18 states under ‘Project Tiger’ and over Rs 20.6 crore (Rs 11.3 crore in 2015-16) to 22 states under ‘Project Elephant’.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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