In Brief:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched 'Project Rhino' on September 22, 2026.
- The initiative provides direct financial and technical support to range states for habitat management, genetic improvement, and population dynamics monitoring.
- Assam houses nearly 80 percent of the global greater one-horned rhinoceros population.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the initiation of 'Project Rhino' on September 22, 2026, marking World Rhino Day. The central scheme provides dedicated financial assistance and technical resources to participating range states—including Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh—to execute targeted protection programs, habitat management projects, genetic diversity studies, and ongoing population monitoring.
The release detailed state-level conservation figures, noting that Assam accounts for approximately 80 percent of the world's greater one-horned rhinoceros population, led by Kaziranga National Park's anti-poaching measures. The report also detailed the successful reintroduction of rhinos to Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh, along with protected population clusters maintained across designated forest divisions in Bihar and West Bengal.
