The Rajasthan State Wildlife Board has given in-principle approval to a fuelwood free village scheme for providing 40,000 cooking gas connections on 100 per cent subsidy to the people residing in the vicinity of tiger reserves.
When all families in a village get cooking gas connection, the village will be declared fuelwood free. Besides, facilities for tourists would be increased in the tiger reserves and wildlife centuries, said the Board.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje presided over a meeting of the Board hereon Thursday and called for a greater people's participation to make thewildlife conservation activities more effective. “These activities should be augmented with the cooperation of those living in eco-development zones,” she said.
Ms. Raje said there were abundant possibilities for developing eco-tourism in the buffer zones of wildlife reserves and asked the Board to find out its possibilities. The forest officials informed that the vehicles used for safari in Ranthambhore National Park would be fitted with global positioning system.
Besides, the relocation package for the people living in the protected areas was being improved to make them self-reliant.
Other decisions taken in the Board's meeting included rejuvenation of Amanishah Nullah in Jaipur, laying of optical fibre cable through reserve forest block in Chhapli and construction of Salgaon dam at Mount Abu.
