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First Khel Ratna, then National Park; resolution passed to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park

Guwahati: After much controversies of renaming Khel Ratna Award, resolution was passed on Assam cabinet to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park. The Assam Government passed a resolution to rename National Park at Orang to Orang National Park.

The state government claims the decision has been taken after several organization had approached the state government urging for a name change. “Taking cognizance of the Adivasi and tea tribe community’s demands, cabinet has decided to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park as Orang National Park,” the government said in released statement.

The national park located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra in Darrang, Udalguri and Sonitpur districts is known for wild animals like Indian Rhinos, Royal Bengal Tiger, Pygmy Hog, wild elephant and wild water buffalo.

Covering an area of 79.28 sq km, it was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1985, and was upgraded to a national park in 1999. Orang Wildlife Sanctuary was originally named after Rajiv Gandhi in 1992. But it was finally national as Rajiv Gandhi National Park in 2001 by the Tarun Gogoi government of the Congress.

The Cabinet meeting also approved the sanction of Rs. 660 crores to the Deputy Commissioners of different districts of the state which they incurred as COVID expenditure for managing the pandemic under Prarthana Scheme.

“Under Prarthana Scheme, the Cabinet has decided to give 6.5 thousand beneficiaries (next of kin) of those who died of COVID, a one-time grant of Rs. 1 lakh. The Guardian Ministers of each district will hand over the amount to the beneficiaries on the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on October 2”, government spokesperson and Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika said at a media briefing after the meeting.

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