TN failed to avail central funds for Ramsar site conservation for 5 yrs

Management plans, prerequisite for release of funds, only ready for 14 of 20 sites in state

- SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA

TAMIL Nadu, which has the highest of 20 Ramsar sites in the country, has not availed of funds from the union government under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) for the protection of these sites in the last five years, according to official data presented in the Lok Sabha.

This is primarily due to the state's delay in preparing Integrated Management Plans (IMPs) for the sites, a prerequisite for release of funds.

While the union government had allocated ₹44.84 crore over five years for conservation and management of 27 Ramsar sites across different states, Tamil Nadu received its last funding in 2019-20, amounting to ₹1.37 crore.