Supreme Court Appoints Committee for Great Indian Bustard Preservation

Current Context: On March 21, 2024, the Supreme Court of India appointed an expert committee for the preservation of the Great Indian Bustard.

• The committee includes the Director of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun; Hari Shankar Singh, Member of the National Board for Wildlife; Niranjan Kumar Vasu, Ex-Principal Chief Conservator of Forest; B. Majumdar, former Chief Wildlife Warden and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Maharashtra; and Devesh Gadhavi, Deputy Director, The Corbett Foundation, among others.
• The committee’s task is to determine the scope, feasibility, and extent of overhead and underground electric lines in the area identified as a priority area in the reports of the Wild Life Institute of India in the States of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• It will also look into the need for adopting conservation and protection measures for the Great Indian Bustard, as well as other fauna specific to the topography and desert features.
• The court has sought a report from the committee by July and listed the matter for the second week of August 2024.
• This initiative underscores the importance of taking proactive measures to protect the Great Indian Bustard, a species that is seriously endangered.

Question:

Q.1 When was the expert committee for the preservation of the Great Indian Bustard appointed by the Supreme Court of India?
a. March 21, 2022
b. March 21, 2023
c. March 21, 2024
d. March 21, 2025