MOHAN YADAV'S BIG GREEN PUSH

On March 13, the Madhya Pradesh State Wildlife Advisory Board approved the creation of a 614 sq. km Omkareshwar sanctuary spread across Dewas and Khandwa districts—marking the state's first major Protected Area (PA) expansion in nearly 45 years.

- Rahul Noronha

Unlike his predecessors, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has actively pursued conservation, previously announcing two new tiger reserves, Ratapani and Madhav, with at least three more sanctuaries besides crucial wildlife corridors in the pipeline.

Madhya Pradesh currently leads the country with nine tiger reserves, and also has 25 wildlife sanctuaries and 11 national parks covering 11,200 sq. km, or 12 per cent of the state's forest area. However, most of these were established in the 1980s, largely driven by then prime minister Indira Gandhi's conservation focus. Since then, PA expansion has slowed, with only small additions in recent decades.