“Besides the numbers, we also need to know exactly the areas where the tigers are and where they aren’t. Both will be important lessons for conservation efforts,” she said.

The Prime Minister also noted with concern the large number of vacancies in frontline forest staff and a ban on recruitment by some state Governments. Some proposals to provide Central assistance to states to meet their financial crunch were also discussed.

Singh was informed about the efforts being made to reinforce protection measures inside the tiger reserves and the kind of support that could be offered to the state Governments in this regard.

The relocation of families living inside the tiger reserves also came up for discussion. The Prime Minister was told that a better relocation scheme was being worked out for the people staying in nearly 275 villages inside the reserves.