(a) whether one-third of the crane population of the country resides in the wetlands of Etawah and Manipuri districts of the Uttar Pradesh;
(b) if so, whether any Committee has been set up for protection of cranes; and
(c) if so, the way in which this Committee proposes to utilize the funds allocated for protection of cranes?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRI NAMO NARAIN MEENA)
(a) Yes, Sir. As per the information available, up to 2500 to 3000 sarus crane population of the estimated 10,000 population in the country are reported from the wetlands of Etawah and Mainpuri Districts of Uttar Pradesh.
(b) A society named Sarus Sanrakshan Samiti (Sarus Protection Society) has been formed by the State Government of Uttar Pradesh under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 for protection of cranes.
(c) Sarus Sanrakshan Samiti plans to utilize the funds for activities as per objectives laid down in the Memorandum of Association of the Samiti and as per the Rules laid down in the Articles of the Association of the Samiti. These activities include studying the ecology of Sarus crane, their relationship with the wetlands, their threat status and preparation of an Action Plan with the involvement of multiple stakeholders including local communities.