Jaipur: A letter, dated March 1, from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recommending use of CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds may remove the bureaucratic bottleneck that prevents utilisation of private funding in wildlife conservation efforts in Rajasthan. The letter says that tiger conservation foundations (TCFs) can greatly benefit from corporate/private partners who reach out for help. “This is to bring your notice that the ICICI foundation has been actively engaged in conservation activities in several tiger reserves of the country. These synergised efforts in biodiversity and related matters are being taken under the aegis of CSR,” reads the NTCA letter. Member of the state board for wildlife, Sunil Mehta, said, “The letter has empowered the field directors at the parks to effectively utilise the CSR funds. In the past, synergised efforts have been made for biodiversity conservation, such as digging borewells, developing grasslands, establishment of skill development centre at Sariska Tiger Reserve, with guaranteed employment using the CSR funding donated by the ICICI foundation.”
