July 29 is recognised as International Tiger Day and the Uttarakhand government made sure that we don't forget.
The front pages of leading English and Hindi dailies in the country carried full-page advertisements marking the occasion, replete with images of tigers, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and, of course, prime minister Narendra Modi.
Incidentally, the union budget for 2021-22 reduced the amount allocated for Project Tiger. As the Times of India reported in February, the allocation to the project has reduced by Rs 100 crore in the last two years. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, which manages 51 tiger reserves across India, was allocated only Rs 10 crore in this year's budget, a minor reduction of Rs 50 lakh.
Yet the line-up of ads appeared in papers like Indian Express, Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Dainik Jagran. The ad said that Uttarakhand is the leading state in tiger conservation, thanks to "successful and active participation of local residents".
Telegraph, the Hindu and Dainik Bhaskar did not have the advertisement.
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