Meeting of Chhattisgarh State Wildlife Board held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai
Raipur, February 13, 2026 // The 16th meeting of the Chhattisgarh State Wildlife Board was organized today at the Chief Minister’s residence office under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai. After discussing the compliance report of the 15th meeting of the board and new agendas, an agreement was reached to forward the proposals for decision to the National Wildlife Board.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that wildlife is an invaluable heritage of our nature and collective efforts are necessary for their conservation and promotion. He emphasized continuous monitoring for the protection of wildlife, curbing illegal activities, and promoting public participation for their safety. He also highlighted the need to increase awareness among villagers living around forests and ensure the active role of youth. The Chief Minister stressed the importance of completing only essential tasks in the natural habitat of wildlife without any disruption, adopting the principle of minimum intervention. He spoke about conducting all activities in accordance with the principles of coexistence.
The meeting approved the formation of the Standing Committee of the State Board for Wildlife. The Standing Committee will be chaired by the Minister for Forest and Climate Change and will include 11 other members. It is noteworthy that the opinion of the State Wildlife Board is mandatory on proposals for works to be carried out in areas important from the perspective of wild animals. Due to the long interval between board meetings, there is a delay in the approval of proposals. The formation of the Standing Committee will help in the quick disposal of statutory approvals and the speedy resolution of issues related to wildlife management.
The meeting agreed to approve proposals related to the renovation and new works of dams and canals in the Barbandha reservoir under the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, the strengthening of the road from Pandripani Main Road to Sauru in Kawardha Forest Division of Kabirdham district under the PM Janman Yojana, laying optical fiber in the Guru Ghasidas National Park area (6 proposals), laying optical fiber in Semarsot Sanctuary, the establishment of a CRPF camp in the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, and laying optical fiber in the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, and to forward them for approval to the National Wildlife Board.
The program was attended by Forest Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap, MLA Shri Dharmjeet Singh, Chief Secretary Shri Vikas Sheel, Additional Chief Secretary Smt. Richa Sharma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Shri V. Srinivas Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Shri Arun Kumar Pandey, along with other board members and officials.