Tigers in Maharashtra have a reason to cheer. The Union Government has approved of a grant of Rs. 150 crore for Vidarbha region’s two Tiger Reserves- Melghat Tiger Reserve and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.

The money grant has been released after the state government sought assistance for the relocation of about 21 villages from the two Tiger Reserve areas. The government wants to relocate 16 villages from Melghat Tiger Reserve and 5 villages from Tadoba Tiger Reserve.

With the tiger population in India under red, the Central Government is offering attractive financial packages to the villagers to encourage them to shift from the areas marked as protected tiger areas. This is important not only for the tigers but other wildlife species as well.

The entire process is being overseen by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (“NTCA”), a Central Government organization heading Project Tiger. The government is offering an alternative of Rs.10 lakh per family or a piece of land per family for their rehabilitation. While Rs.100 crore will be released immediately, the balance will be released shortly.

Even the State Government of Maharashtra has made a provision of Rs 25.79-crore in its annual budget for the rehabilitation of villages within the Sahyadri Tiger Project in Western Maharashtra. Sahyadri Tiger Reserve was declared under Project Tiger last year.

Recently Botezhari village from Tadoba was vacated from the Tiger Reserve area, but Kolsa village close by was not relocated due to shortage of funds. But now with such a huge grant offered, these two Tiger Reserves will be finally made free of human habitation. This is especially important to prevent any cases of poaching or poisoning of wildlife by villagers in the forested areas.

A marked territory solely reserved as a residence of the tiger and its many other wildlife species also helps in better protection and conservation of wildlife in the region.