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National Forum - India and Hindu interchangeably is not acceptable anymore

This is with reference to Venkitash's reply to anshuman's post.

I do not usually spend time replying to such posts but decided to make an exception as venkitesh's post reveals a total misunderstanding of what constitutes Indian civilisation. Yes, India was and is a plural society, yes, many groups like Parsis and Tebetans found refuge here. But we must be alert to point out that using India and Hindu interchangeably is not acceptable anymore. While in the past we know that Hindu had only a geographic meaning, now - in the colonial and post-colonial era - it is used in several other contexts and has several other meanings. IT is now mainly used as a term for the Vedic religion propagated by Sankara, the Brahmin missionary who walked all over India in the second half of the first millennium, to spread his version of his faith, in a land mass which had Jainism, Buddhism, and any number of indigenous belief systems. It is interesting how Buddhism became almost extinct where it arose, but found deep roots in other Asian societies where it still flourishes in various forms, manily after Shankara succeeded in convincing the local kings about the superiority of his philosophical and political tenets. Jainism survives, but with the loss of most of its basadis, which were turned into "Hindu" temples.

Hence to term the ancient Indian civilisation with rich and ancient pacifist religious traditions (pre-Christian era) of Buddhism, Jainism, and numerous local traditions by the term Hindu is to totally stretch the historical facts wherethey in fact do not go. Actually it is the pacific and egalitarian nature of these indigenous faith systems that is the core of the Indian civilisation, rather than the superimposed Vedic religion (with its divisive hierachies).

Cynthia Stephen

Cynthia Stephen
Independent Researcher and writer
Bangalore, India

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National Forum - Salwa Judum and Mining in Bastar

Nandini Sundar <nandinisundar@yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear Suklaï¿½

I have actually been saying for a long time that there is no one to one connection between sj and tata/essar or the mining., but a general one but then have been accused of not having the right line, and recognising the connection.ï¿½

extracting a section from a paper in wrote in 2007

Blood mining

While one history of the Salwa Judum places it within the context of a standard counter-insurgency tactic directed against communist guerillas, the version lately preferred by the Maoists and a number of human rights activists is that the Salwa Judum is part of a ï¿½ground clearing exerciseï¿½ for industry and mining.[1] The Dandakaranya region, and Dantewada district in particular, are said to have 18% of Indiaï¿½s iron ore deposits, along with large reserves of graphite ore, limestone, uranium and other minerals. They point to the coincidence that the Chhattisgarh government signed an agreement with both the Tata and Essar groups to invest in steel plants in Bastar and Dantewada on the same day that Salwa Judum started, June 4^th 2005. Both MoUs (memorandum of understanding) were initially kept secret. Both the Tata steel plant at Lohandiguda, for which the company is trying to acquire some 2161 ha, and the Essar Steel plant at Bhansi for which Essar wants 900 ha have been strongly opposed by villagers who will lose their lands to the project. Under PESA 1996, a special law for scheduled areas (areas dominated by indigenous people or adivasis), the government is required to gain the consent of the villagers. In both cases, villages were forced to give their ï¿½consentï¿½ at gunpoint. Both the plants, however, have the support of non-tribal emigrants, who see the prospect of business expanding and their children getting whatever limited jobs come on offer.

While nationwide the anxiety about Maoists is connected to SEZs, the connections in Bastar seem too quickly drawn. Of course, there are links in the person of Mahendra Karma, who leads the Salwa Judum and who is acting as an agent for both Tata and Essar in acquiring land, and in the fact that Essar is funding the permanent resettlement of villages. However, both the large steel plants proposed for this region are in villages where people have not been forcibly evacuated and elsewhere in the country, displacement is taking place without strategic hamletting. Maoist influence had not reached Lohandiguda, and protests against both plants are currently being led not by the Maoists, but by the parliamentary left, the CPI.

ï¿½
The real connections perhaps lie in the silence that now surrounds whatever happens in the region and the atmosphere of impunity that has been created. Now that villages have been emptied, there is a great deal of smaller scale prospecting and felling that goes unchecked. In a government guesthouse on the Andhra side of the border, waiting to cross over to Chhattisgarh, I met a businessman from Andhra Pradesh who had just acquired 3 ha of land for a granite quarry in a village, all of whose inhabitants had been moved to camp. While their permission was required under PESA, they were no longer there to give it. He said he sniffed opportunity at times of conflict, when competition was low - his company had acquired some 100 ha in different villages in small lots and under different names to circumvent the laws requiring federal clearance for forest clearance.

[1]ï¿½See, e.g., Ilina Sen, Ground Clearing with Salwa Judum,ï¿½Himal Southasian, November 2006: 42-44.

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------------------- http://lifestyle.ozg.in ----------------------- To post your articles, write-up, issues for public discussions, documentary video and public event invitations at The National Forum of India (NFI) websites, simply send it to national-forum-of-india@yahoogroups.com. No sign-up required. >->->-> Check out Now http://india.ozg.in | http://indian.ozg.in === > === > === > NFI Website for States of India < === < === < === HOW TO ADD COMMENTS ON ARTICLES / POST @ STATEs' WEBSITE - 1. Click on TITLE of any post from side bar or at bottom menu. 2. Leave your comments / reply in comment box. === > === > === > http://Andhra.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Arunachal.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Assam.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Bengal.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Bihar.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Chhattisgarh.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Goa.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Gujarat.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Haryana.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Himachal.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Kashmir.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Jharkhand.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Karnataka.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Kerala.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Madhya-Pradesh.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Maharashtra.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Manipur.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Meghalaya.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Mizoram.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Nagaland.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Orissa.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Punjab.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Rajasthan.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Sikkim.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Tamilnadu.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Tripura.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Uttarakhand.ozg.in === > === > === > http://Uttar-Pradesh.ozg.in ------------------- http://bollywood.ozg.in -----------------------

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National Forum - Mind the North Delhi Divide

http://delhi.ozg.in/2010/04/mind-north-delhi-divide.html

We see everyday people going from North Delhi, North-East Delhi and North-West Delhi to their offices in Noida and Gurgaon (traveling more than 80 kilometers a day). Most of them traveling from office cabs and reaching at their destination in just 2.5 hours, after a daily struggle with traffic jams and after bearing lot of rush, sound and air pollution. Fortunately, the time sometimes reduces to 2 hours but around 4 hours (to and fro) are spoiled in this stressful journey everyday.

Everybody is working extra and stretching the working hours (few companies have made it mandatory to work 9 hours a day and/or 6 days a week) and the long travel time is adding to stress and physical problems. The same way, nowadays drivers are also working extra hours and not taking proper rest causing increase in road accidents.

Lot of job strugglers and people traveling from buses which take around 3 hours one side to reach their respective target locations. Throughout their travel, they need to be alert from pickpockets. Tired and stressed they reach and then face many challenges at work place. No wonder if I salute them, as they have courage and satisfaction that they will reach home after 3 more hours of exhausted journey.

The world famous unbearable summer season of Delhi. On that, non-AC public transport (also most of the multinational company cabs) adds the sweating and stinking discomfort to daily commuters. Obviously, they don't want it but they have to accept it as they have to earn their livelihoods.

MORE ON http://delhi.ozg.in/2010/04/mind-north-delhi-divide.html

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Re: National Forum - Jharkhand Govt discriminawting poorest of poor

Dear Manoj,

The jet-set city young people are 'rolling in dough'. Do they have a care for the millions

of poorly fed, housed, watered, doctored -- in villages all over India?

kathie

On Apr 1, 2010, at 1:42 PM, Manoj Padhi wrote:

No one wants to be poor on purpose;people are poor because of destiny.
What our concerned activists believe that - It is the duty of the Government to visit door to door, knock and inquire about their financial health and make appropriate payments.

e.g. if a poor people has got 4 daughters he should be given Rs. 20000/- per month.
if a poor people is unmarried, he should be given at least Rs.5000/- per month.

They argue that India is a welfare state and hence Government should heavily tax the rich and re-distribute their wealth.

They are not aware of that fact that, the Government is already doing that and in spite of that couldn't re-redistribute them to all because the wealth is falling short for so many poor people.

There is no wealth left for primary education sector and still Mr. Samy and his likes are daily coming out with socialist plans as if the Government has got trees with hanging Rs. 500/- notes..

For graduates and post graduates, It requires several years (10 to 20 years) of hard work and a bit of luck to get rid of the label 'poor' and transition to a 'middle class' label.

Now, if one is not educated, do the math. It may take a generation or more to become middle class.

So, please stop complaining and reach them to persuade to send their kids to school and demand a school in their area. yesterday I watched a Niyamgiri Video by few activists and watched the tribals. They want to live their traditional life and their kids didn't look like that they are going to any school.

And, those tribals are proud of their uneducated life style.

Government socialist assistance should only be given to prevent hunger and every community deserves schools and colleges in their neighbour hood.

Mr. Activists: Please persuade the Naxlites to make demand of schools and colleges and roads every where and the CIVIL society will be with them. Don't make demand for unsustainable subsidy based free-money because that would deplete the primary education budget.

Thanks
Manoj Padhi

On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 7:36 AM, sandeep sinha <sandeep5000in@yahoo.com> wrote:

How unfortunate and so untrue. Why dont you stop instigations people and start writing stuff which motivate people.

Let me ask you a simple question: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ABOUT IT??

Another question would be: How much have you donated in charity so far? Or which poor boy has been fed by you?

I am not defending anybody here. But, when the government is not being empathetic, what are you doing apart from writing blogs?? What is the use of writing when we can be in hell lot of action improving the place around us.

My friend, I am sure you are more worried about the whole situation than me or a lot of us. But writing such stuff will only cause demotivation among people. Lets create a harmony through this forum and share positive ideas on how, do we in Jhrakhand make it a better place.

Johar Jharkhand

--

Manoj Padhi

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Re: National Forum - Swamis, Celibacy and Sex Scandals

On 4/1/10, Ish / Anshuman Bhattacharjee <national-forum-of-india@yahoogroups.co.in> wrote:

hinduism tops the list as it does not allow even the theoretical possibility of equality and has scope for all kinds of fraudulant babas.

Ish---

This is a fantabulously wrong statement. Most of the mass appeal Hindus swamis are not high caste.

Second Hindus have done for the the disadvantaged (through reservations etc) than any other country for its oppressed. It is through regular reform that the Indian civilization is the longest and only living civilization in the world. All others are dead -- Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek etc.

Any talk of equality is fundamentally a myth. Those who usrurped power in the name of equality of hte masses have caused heimous crimes to humanity, the worst in the 20th century in Russia, China, Combodia and other places.

As far as Christianity and Islam is concerned, they carry out genodice of non-believers. Anywhere these religions have gone they have trampled, destroyed and decimated natives and native religions amnd people. Is it surprising that jews, parsees. tibetans all found santuary in India, amidst the Hindus?

There is no second thoughts about it. Hinduism (call it any name you want) is the most inclusive, accomodative and pluralistic system in the world. We are open-minded, we don't care about beliefs of any people. A meat eater and a vegetarian can live side by side peacefully. A believer in formless or full of form god do not go around killing each other in the name of doctrine and what not.

We emphasize harmony and balance. Anybody can have opinions, but facts are sacred. And inspite of tension of the modern world.. we host the maximum number of languages, religions, jatis, colours, cultures in the world.

I challenge anybody to show me any other country which has gone thru 5,000 years of civilization and achieved this.

Venkat

Third

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Re: National Forum - Swamis, Celibacy and Sex Scandals

Dear Katherine,

The concern here is quality of Media coverage of that incident in India. It is normally restricted to a small subtext in a newspaper or a small end of the day newsline in electronic Media.

The obvious double standard concerns you. I remember the kind of Media hue that happened in the aftermath of the Kandhamal riots in specific expression of the Nun's rape case. The way the Media hype was orchestrated turned off genuine sympathisers .

I've spoken to my journalist friends on the coverage . The reply was that, They had orders from the top. - 'We don't want impartial coverage. Just present a particular communities point of view'.

Regards
Umashankar Das

On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 5:01 PM, Katherine Brobeck <kbrobeck25@comcast.net> wrote:

Dear MR. Bhattacharjee,
Haven't you noticed what's been going on in the west re Roman Catholic priests?
Even the pope has been 'called on the carpet'.
kathie

On Apr 1, 2010, at 1:35 AM, Anshuman Bhattacharjee wrote:

All this is rubbish and a high level conspiracy against hindu society and religion. No muslim leader or Father's of Church are being alleged for this type of scandals. This is all to difame the greatness of hindu religion. Ya ofcourse some religious leaders might be doing this but why only religious leader belonging to hindu community are being targeted. We hindus are generally of moderate thinking and accept these with a different approach but if same thing is being asked from a intellectual belonging to muslim or christian community they will definately deny or try to protect their leaders.

Plz do not spread all this nonsense and try to bring the good things being told by these religious leaders. Also plz do not attack hindu religion only.

Anshuman Bhattacharjee

__._,_.___

__,_._,___

Re: National Forum - Jharkhand Govt discriminawting poorest of poor

No one wants to be poor on purpose;people are poor because of destiny.
What our concerned activists believe that - It is the duty of the Government to visit door to door, knock and inquire about their financial health and make appropriate payments.

e.g. if a poor people has got 4 daughters he should be given Rs. 20000/- per month.
if a poor people is unmarried, he should be given at least Rs.5000/- per month.

They argue that India is a welfare state and hence Government should heavily tax the rich and re-distribute their wealth.

They are not aware of that fact that, the Government is already doing that and in spite of that couldn't re-redistribute them to all because the wealth is falling short for so many poor people.

There is no wealth left for primary education sector and still Mr. Samy and his likes are daily coming out with socialist plans as if the Government has got trees with hanging Rs. 500/- notes..

For graduates and post graduates, It requires several years (10 to 20 years) of hard work and a bit of luck to get rid of the label 'poor' and transition to a 'middle class' label.

Now, if one is not educated, do the math. It may take a generation or more to become middle class.

So, please stop complaining and reach them to persuade to send their kids to school and demand a school in their area. yesterday I watched a Niyamgiri Video by few activists and watched the tribals. They want to live their traditional life and their kids didn't look like that they are going to any school.

And, those tribals are proud of their uneducated life style.

Government socialist assistance should only be given to prevent hunger and every community deserves schools and colleges in their neighbour hood.

Mr. Activists: Please persuade the Naxlites to make demand of schools and colleges and roads every where and the CIVIL society will be with them. Don't make demand for unsustainable subsidy based free-money because that would deplete the primary education budget.

Thanks
Manoj Padhi

On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 7:36 AM, sandeep sinha <sandeep5000in@yahoo.com> wrote:

How unfortunate and so untrue. Why dont you stop instigations people and start writing stuff which motivate people.

Let me ask you a simple question: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ABOUT IT??

Another question would be: How much have you donated in charity so far? Or which poor boy has been fed by you?

I am not defending anybody here. But, when the government is not being empathetic, what are you doing apart from writing blogs?? What is the use of writing when we can be in hell lot of action improving the place around us.

My friend, I am sure you are more worried about the whole situation than me or a lot of us. But writing such stuff will only cause demotivation among people. Lets create a harmony through this forum and share positive ideas on how, do we in Jhrakhand make it a better place.

Johar Jharkhand

--

Manoj Padhi

__._,_.___

__,_._,___

Re: National Forum - Swamis, Celibacy and Sex Scandals

plese do read news papers for sexual scandals of church priests. dont be a zingoist. all the religions are retrogressive, hinduism tops the list as it does not allow even the theoretical possibility of equality and has scope for all kinds of fraudulant babas.

Ish---

Dear Kathie,

Ya I agree that Even pope has been 'called on the carpet'. But plz see the numbers. Specially in India, Hindu religious leaders are being targeted with a it seems predetermined approach. If it was even then then matter was a different one but every time we see a hindu leader is in the most cases targeted. Even media is playing a double standard it seems.

The only thing that I would like to stress is to spread the message of peace and harmony and try to bring the good things among the public. ï¿½

Anshuman

On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 5:01 PM, Katherine Brobeck <kbrobeck25@comcast.net> wrote:

ï¿½

Dear MR. Bhattacharjee,
Haven't you noticed what's been going on in the west re Roman Catholic priests?
Even the pope has been 'called on the carpet'.
kathie

On Apr 1, 2010, at 1:35 AM, Anshuman Bhattacharjee wrote:

All this is rubbish and a high level conspiracy against hindu society and religion. No muslim leader or Father's of Church are being alleged for this type of scandals. This is all to difame the greatness of hindu religion. Ya ofcourse some religious leaders might be doing this but why only religious leader belonging to hindu community are being targeted. We hindus are generally of moderate thinking and accept these with a different approach but if same thing is being asked from a intellectual belonging to muslim or christian community they will definately deny or try to protect their leaders.

Plz do not spread all this nonsense and try to bring the good things being told by these religious leaders. Also plz do not attack hindu religion only.

Anshuman Bhattacharjee

__._,_.___

__,_._,___

National Forum - Jharkhand Govt discriminawting poorest of poor

How unfortunate and so untrue. Why dont you stop instigations people and start writing stuff which motivate people.

Let me ask you a simple question: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ABOUT IT??

Another question would be: How much have you donated in charity so far? Or which poor boy has been fed by you?

I am not defending anybody here. But, when the government is not being empathetic, what are you doing apart from writing blogs?? What is the use of writing when we can be in hell lot of action improving the place around us.

My friend, I am sure you are more worried about the whole situation than me or a lot of us. But writing such stuff will only cause demotivation among people. Lets create a harmony through this forum and share positive ideas on how, do we in Jhrakhand make it a better place.

Johar Jharkhand

------------------------------------

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Re: National Forum - Swamis, Celibacy and Sex Scandals

Dear MR. Bhattacharjee,

Haven't you noticed what's been going on in the west re Roman Catholic priests?

Even the pope has been 'called on the carpet'.

kathie

On Apr 1, 2010, at 1:35 AM, Anshuman Bhattacharjee wrote:

All this is rubbish and a high level conspiracy against hindu society and religion. No muslim leader or Father's of Church are being alleged for this type of scandals. This is all to difame the greatness of hindu religion. Ya ofcourse some religious leaders might be doing this but why only religious leader belonging to hindu community are being targeted. We hindus are generally of moderate thinking and accept these with a different approach but if same thing is being asked from a intellectual belonging to muslim or christian community they will definately deny or try to protect their leaders.

Plz do not spread all this nonsense and try to bring the good things being told by these religious leaders. Also plz do not attack hindu religion only.

Anshuman Bhattacharjee

__._,_.___

__,_._,___

National Forum - NEW TIGER RESERVE IN PILIBHIT UP

Subject: NEW TIGER RESERVE IN PILIBHIT UP

DANGEROUS ENDANGERMENT
By Shariq Parvez from Pilibhit

Tigers are an endangered species in india. In fact the population is dwindling very fast and if no concrete effort is made to end the poaching then the chances of the tiger population surviving the next decade are very bleak.
In 1972, the government formed Project Tiger to protect the tiger forests and

banned shooting any of India's remaining 1,800 tigers. Funds flowed in from all over the world and by 1989 the number of tigers in India had climbed to 4,300. But in 1999, their number came down at around 3,500 and, once again, conservationists were worried. Shooting for recreation is a distant memory from the British Raj, but there are now other, less easily controlled threats to India's big cats. Population growth and rural development such as the construction of mammoth dams in some areas are destroying the natural habitats of tigers. Although trafficking in wildlife products is banned in India, poaching of tigers for their skin, bones and body parts used in Chinese medicine has exacerbated the problem. While Project Tiger has succeeded in protecting about 25 of India's forest reserves, it is among the unprotected areas of forest that are most at risk.
Another factor responsible for the fall in India's tiger population is the rise of insurgency in some parts of the country such as the northeast and Andhra Pradesh in the south. In Andhra Pradesh, Ranjitsingh says, left-wing extremists called Naxalites have provoked villagers to kill tigers because the government was slow to pay villagers for cattle killed by tigers.
            What makes scenario gloomier is the fact that almost 80 per cent of the tiger reserves across the country don't even have a tiger conservation
plan, according to sources. In spite of the attention showered on tigers they continue to be in trouble and till now 95 tigers were killed in 2009. Now it is clear why the tiger is still in trouble.
            Under the Wildlife Protection Act, it is mandatory for all states which have tigers to have a tiger conservation plan, a steering committee headed by the Chief Minister, and a buffer zones around each reserve to save the tigers that stray out of forest. But 80 per cent of tiger reserves across India do not have a tiger conservation plan which is a vital tool for protecting the tiger. Less than 50 per cent of tiger states have a steering committee or a tiger conservation foundation and in the last three years not one state has utilised funds fully released by Centre.
            This is the reason that the current population of wild Bengal tigers in the Indian subcontinent is estimated to be between 1,300 and 1,500. Of these, 1,411 are found in the wild in India while about 280 are found in Bangladesh, mostly in the Sunderbans. As of June 2009, tigers are found in 37 tiger reserves spread across 17 Indian states. An area of special interest lies in North India where 11 protected areas are found in the Terai regions, comprising dry forest foothills and dune valleys at the base of the Himalayans.
            But over the past century tiger numbers have fallen drastically. Of eight sub-species alive in 1900, three are now extinct and we have lost over 90 per cent of wild tigers. Habitat losses and the extremely large-scale incidences of poaching are serious threats to species survival. Poachers kill tigers not only for their pelts, but also for body parts used to make various traditional East Asian medicines. Other factors contributing to their loss are urbanisation and revenge killing. Farmers blame tigers for killing cattle and shoot them. Poachers also kill tigers for their bones and teeth to make medicines that are alleged to impart the tiger's strength to the human who consumes the medicines.
            The fall in number of tigers in the census of 2007 was at last taken seriously by the Government of India. The Finance Minister Mr P Chidambaram allotted a grant of Rs 50 crore for the Protection of Tigers following pressure from international conservationists to save the last tigers of the country. While presenting the budget of 2008-09 Chidambaram told: "The number 1,411 should ring the alarm bells. The tiger is under grave threat." Further Chidambaram said that the National Tiger Conservation Authority would be granted Rs 50 crore to "raise, arm and deploy" a Tiger Protection Force.
            The Project Tiger plans to create eight new Tiger Reserves across the country at a cost of $153 million. An estimated 2,00,000 people from across 250 villages will be relocated as the human interference in tiger territories and encroachment are considered equally dangerous as poaching.
            Here it is worth mentioning that the UP government plans to set up a new tiger reserve in Pilibhit. The new reserve would be spread over an area of approximately 1,000 sq km. It is expected to ease the pressure on the Dudhwa forest reserve that has witnessed a massive depletion of forest cover in recent years, adding to the man-animal conflict in the region. The new tiger reserve would run through Pilibhit, Kishenpur sanctuary and Khutar range of Shahjahanpur. The Dudhwa forest reserve includes Katarniaghat and Kakraha range of Bahraich division. Pilibhit, Khutar and Kakraha are reserved forest areas that will be converted into protected areas for the reserves with a slight alteration in the boundaries. The outline for the reserve, as identified by the Critical Tiger Habitat Committee, was sent to the Central government in January last year. The reserve was sanctioned in last year's budget and forest department has already completed the exercise of delineating its stretch and extent. Now it is to be seen as to when this plan translates into reality.
            Pilibhit is one of the few well forested districts in UP. According to an estimate of year 2004, Pilibhit district has over 800 sq km forests, constituting roughly 23 per cent of the district's total area. Forests in Pilibhit have at least 36 tigers and a good predator base for their survival. Pilibhit forests are part of Terai forests, which together with grasslands constitute habitat for over 127 animal species, 556 bird species and 2,100 types of flowering plants.
They are also home to around six million people who depend on them for their livelihood. With Corbett Tiger Reserve going to Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh always wanted to develop Pilibhit forests area as home for the striped cats. A proposal created in 2005 to make a home for the endangered cats in Pilibhit forests was sent to the government of India in April 2008, on the basis of the potential to have special type of ecosystem with vast open spaces and sufficient feed for the elegant predators. The reserve has a core area of 1089 km (proposed) and buffer area of 627 km (proposed). The northern edge of the reserve lies along the Indo-Nepal border while the southern boundary is marked by the river Sharada and Khakra. It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species, which include tiger, leopard, swamp deer, hispid hare, Bengal floricans, etc.
            This new reserve would run through Pilibhit, Kishenpur sanctuary and Khutar range of Shahjahanpur, the existing one would have Dudhwa, Katarniaghat and Kakraha range of Bahraich division. Pilibhit, Khutar and Kakraha are reserved forest areas which will be converted into protected areas for the reserves. Actually, Dudhwa tigers are distributed in one major and three smaller populations. Major population is constituted by Dudhwa reserve which includes Dudhwa National Park, Kishenpur and Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuaries and forests of Pilibhit, north and south Kheri. The smaller tiger populations are present in Bijnor forests in west, and Suhelwa and Sohagibarwa wildlife sanctuaries in east.
            According to a study by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dudhwa-Pilibhit population has high conservation value since it represents the only tiger population having the ecological and behavioural adaptations of the tiger unique to the Terai region. But this rosy scenario may turn dismal, given the fact that the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve project was granted in the month of September 2008, when Government of India approved the area for its inhabitants in the Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh. But due to the state government's indifference towards the project, the work on the proceedings of the implementation of the project is moving at a snail's pace. What is more, even after an amendment in the Wildlife (Protection) Act that makes formal notification of tiger reserves mandatory, sources reveal that UP is yet to notify its tiger reserves.
            A 2006 Amendment in the Wildlife (Protection) Act said tiger reserves should be notified with a demarcation of a critical (core) area, to serve as an inviolate tiger habitat, and a buffer area which would help in creating contiguous tiger habitats. Yet, Uttar Pradesh has not made any formal area demarcations yet. Making a formal notification would mean the tiger reserve would get increased funding for patrolling and development under various heads from the Central National Tiger Conservation Authority. In Dudhwa and Pilibhit, tigers have been reeling under man-animal conflict and poaching. In Dudhwa, tigers have been getting killed on a railway line that runs through the park.

"Despite all our pressures, UP has not notified the core areas of the tiger reserves. While verbal commitments have been made, no formal notification has been made," says Rajesh Gopal, member secretary, NTCA. In UP especial intervention is required, as UP has always had a good tiger population. Furthermore, Pilibhit is an extremely vulnerable area to poaching.

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