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RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK

22nd May, 2023

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Context

  • Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami released a tigress brought from the forest area of Corbett Tiger Reserve in the Motichur forest area of Rajaji Tiger Reserve.

About Rajaji National Park

  • It is an Indian national park and tiger reserve that encompasses the Shivaliks, near the foothills of the Himalayas.
  • It is spread over 820 km2 and includes three districts of Uttarakhand: Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal.
  • In 1983, three wildlife sanctuaries in the area namely, Chilla, Motichur and Rajaji were merged into one.

Etymology

  • Rajaji National Park has been named after C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), a prominent leader of the Freedom Struggle, the second and last Governor-General of independent India and one of the first recipients of India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (in 1954).

Fauna

  • The park is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including over 300 species of birds, 50 species of mammals, and numerous species of reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
  • Some of the more notable animals that can be found in the park include tigers, leopards, elephants, sloth bears, and Indian gaur (a type of bison).
  • The park is most renowned for its elephants.

Tiger reserve status

  • Final approval was accorded to Kudremukh (Karnataka) and Rajaji (Uttarakhand) for declaring as a tiger reserve on 15 April 2015.
  • Rajaji became the second tiger reserve in Uttarakhand.

Flora

  • Rajaji National Park of India is nestled between the Shivalik ranges and the Indo-Gangetic plains.
  • Broadleaved deciduous forests, riverine vegetation, scrubland, grasslands and pine forests form the range of flora in this park.
  • The under-wood is light and often absent.

MUST READ ARTICLES:

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/corbett-national-park

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q) Which of the following statements with reference to Rajaji National Park is/are correct?

1. It is nestled between the Shivalik ranges and the Indo-Gangetic plains.

2. The park is most renowned for its elephants.

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: 3

https://theprint.in/india/union-minister-bhupendra-yadav-uttarakhand-cm-dhami-release-tigress-in-rajaji-national-parks-motichur-range/1585060/