Bhopal: Indian Oil to give Rs 50 crore for cheetah reintroduction project

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Indian Oil will be contributing Rs 50.22 crore in four years for the Cheetah reintroduction project in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, said executive director and Madhya Pradesh state office head, Indian Oil Corporation Deepak Kumar Basu while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday. First instalment of Rs 9.95 crore has been released for the project, he added.

The Cheetah Reintroduction Project, fuelled by Indian Oil and steered by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), will formally take off on September 17. The first batch of Cheetahs, translocated from Namibia to India, will be released into the Kuno National Park in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian Oil, as the lead energizer of this project, will support NTCA with Rs 50.22 Crore to take this project forward. The Chairman, Indian Oil, S M Vaidya has also been invited to the function. “The contribution will be spent on components viz. cheetah introduction, its habitat management and protection, eco development, staff training and veterinary healthcare” he added.

Basu said, “Indian Oil is the first corporate which has come forward to support the “Project Cheetah” under CSR, as the project has not only national importance but also essential for balancing the ecosystem”.

He further informed that under this project, a source population of 15-20 Cheetahs will be flown in from Namibia and South Africa and will be introduced at Kuno National Park. It is a national project involving National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India and the state government of MP.