The Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, which currently hosts 20 cheetahs brought in from Africa, does not have enough prey to sustain all the animals.
The Rajasthan government had offered to host some animals in the relatively smaller, but well-equipped, Mukundra Tiger reserve, “political considerations” had prevented this from happening.
As present, there are about 20 chital — the cheetah’s main prey — per square kilometre available at the KNP, a sharp decline from the nearly 60 chital per square km that could be found in the park in 2014.
“This, at the most, would sustain 15 animals, and five ought to have been shifted elsewhere. Unlike the Gangasagar and Nauradehi wildlife sanctuaries (in Madhya Pradesh) which will take at least a year and investments worth ₹750 crore to be made suitable for the cheetah, Mukundara can immediately accommodate them.
About Kuno National Park
Kuno National Park is a national park and wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, India. It takes its name from the Kuno River. It was established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary with an initial area of 344.686 km2 in the districts of Sheopur and Morena. It was designated a national park in 2018.
Kuno National Park which is mainly dominated by Kardhai, Salai, Khair trees among the mixed forests, supports a vide variety of both floral and faunal species. It has a rich biodiversity having a total of 123 species of trees , 71 species of shrubs , 32 species of climbers & exotic species, 34 species of bamboos and grasses, 33 species of mammals, 206 species of birds, 14 species of fishes, 33 species of reptiles and 10 species of amphibians. Such a high number of both floral and faunal species make it one of the most biodiverse areas of Central Indian Landscape.
Main Faunal Species of general tourist interest which are found in Kuno National Park are:
Spotted deer or Chital (Axis axis)
Sambar (Cervus unicolor)
Barking deer or Indian Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak)
Chousingha or Four-horned antilope (Tetracerus quadricornis)
Nilgai or Blue bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus)
Indian Gazelle or Chinkara (Gazella gazella)
Black buck (Antilope cervicapra)
Gaur or Indian Bison (Bos gaurus)
Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Wild dog or Dhole (Cuonal pinus)
Striped Hyaena (Hyaena hyaena)
Indian Wolf (Canis lupus)
Jackal (Canis aureus)
Wild boar (Sus scrofa)
Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)
Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis)
Jungle cat (Felius chaus)
Desert cat (Felin sylvestris)
Common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)
Small Indian civet (Viverricula indica)
Grey mongoose (Herpestes edwardsii)
Small indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus)
Ruddy mongoose (Herpestes smithii)
Indian hare (Lepus nigricollis)
Indian porcupine (Hystrix indica)
Indian gerbil (Tatera indica)
Indian tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri)
Hanuman langur/Common langur (Presbytis entellus)
Rhesus monkey (Macaque mulata)
Project Cheetah:
The introduction of cheetahs in India is being done under Project Cheetah, which is the world's first intercontinental large wild carnivore translocation project. Coexistence approach: India has opted for this approach. It is even more unique because this is the first time cheetahs will be reintroduced in an unfenced protected area (PA). Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa were transported to India between September 2022 and February 2023 as part of an initiative to reintroduce the species to India, where the cheetah population had gone extinct in the early 1950s.
‘Cheetahs need space’
Conservationists have debated whether the cheetah, which requires vast tracts of land to run and hunt, can thrive in India, where suitable land is limited, as opposed to African reserves.
It was emphasized that, in terms of space, India could house more animals per square km than Africa because "Indian socio-cultural practices" contributed to better coexistence with big cats, as evidenced by the increasing numbers of lions, tigers, and leopards.
According to a wildlife expert, prey density numbers are not a reliable indicator of cheetah adaptability to a habitat.
Because it is the weakest of the cats and cannot hold on to its prey, the cheetah requires significantly more space than lions and tigers.
About Mukundra Tiger Reserve
Mukundra Tiger Reserve is located near Kota, Rajasthan. The Mukundra Hills was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1955 and a National Park (Mukundra Hills (Darrah) National Park) in 2004. The reserve is located on the eastern bank of the Chambal River and is drained by its tributaries. The park is situated in a valley formed by two parallel mountains viz. Mukundra and Gargola.
The Tiger Reserve constitutes 3 Wildlife Sanctuaries viz; Darrah, Jawahar Sagar, and Chambal. Other Tiger Reserves in Rajasthan are Ranthambore and Sariska.
Reasons for reintroducing cheetah from Southern Africa
The critically endangered Cheetah subspecies of India is found in Iran.
Because the critically endangered Asiatic Cheetah cannot be obtained from Iran, India chose to obtain Cheetahs from Southern Africa.
Southern African Cheetahs have the highest observed genetic variety among extant Cheetah lineages, which is essential for establishing a founding population stock.
Furthermore, it has been determined that Southern African Cheetahs are the ancestors of all other Cheetah lineages, making them suitable for India's reintroduction program.
World Bank to lend $1 billion to support India’s health sector
The World Bank is lending up to $1 billion to help India with preparedness for future pandemics as well as to strengthen its health infrastructure.
The lending will be divided into two complementary loans of $500 million each.
Support to PM-ABHIM: Through this combined financing of $1 billion, the bank will support India’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), launched in October 2021, to improve the public healthcare infrastructure across the country.
The loans will prioritise health service delivery in seven States — Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
Pandemic Preparedness Programme (PHSPP): The $500 million Public Health Systems for Pandemic. It will support the government’s efforts to prepare India’s surveillance system to detect and report epidemics of potential international concern.
Enhanced Health Service Delivery Programme (EHSDP): Another $500 million Enhanced Health. It will support the government's efforts to strengthen service delivery through a redesigned primary healthcare model.
Maturity Period: Both the PHSPP and the EHSDP loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) have a final maturity of 18.5 years, including a grace period of five years.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development:
The IBRD is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. Created in 1944 to help Europe rebuild after World War II, IBRD joins with IDA, our fund for the poorest countries, to form the World Bank.
As the largest development bank in the world, it supports the World Bank Group’s mission by providing loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries.
They work closely with all institutions of the World Bank Group and the public and private sectors in developing countries to reduce poverty and build shared prosperity.
PM-ABHIM:
Aim to strengthen healthcare infrastructure across the country.
Objective to fill gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both urban and rural areas.
Critical care services will be available in all the districts of the country with more than five lakh population through exclusive critical care hospital blocks, while the remaining districts will be covered through referral services.
Integrated Public Health Labs will also be set up in all districts, giving people access to “a full range of diagnostic services” through a network of laboratories across the country.
An IT-enabled disease surveillance system will be established through a network of surveillance laboratories at block, district, regional and national levels
The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2023 report.
India scored 74.4 out of a possible 100 in a World Bank Index on the life cycle of a working woman. A score of 100 on the Index means that women are on an equal standing with men on all the eight indicators being measured. The indicators are Mobility, Workplace, Pay, Marriage, Parenthood, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension.
Women, Business and the Law 2023 is the ninth in a series of annual reports that analyse laws and regulations affecting women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies.
Eight indicators—structured around women’s interactions with the law as they begin, progress through, and end their careers—align with the economic decisions women make at various stages of their lives.
Out of the 190 economies covered in the Index, only 14 scored a perfect 100: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxemburg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
India scored higher than the 63.7 average for the South Asian region, though lower than Nepal which had the region’s highest score of 80.6. For India, the Index used data on laws applicable in Mumbai, viewed as the country’s main business city.
The laws affecting the Indian working woman’s pay and pension do not provide for equality with Indian men.
Constraints on freedom of Movement: When it comes to constraints on freedom of movement, laws affecting women’s decisions to work, and constraints related to marriage, India gets a perfect score.
Gender differences in property and inheritance: India lags behind when it comes to laws affecting women’s pay, pension and work after having children, constraints on women starting and running a business, gender differences in property and inheritance.
To improve on the Pay indicator, India may wish to consider mandating equal remuneration for work of equal value, allowing women to work at night in the same way as men, and allowing women to work in an industrial job in the same way as men,” the report said.