National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Delhi, has announced rewards to Akash Anil Sarda, Forest Guard, Amravati, and Pramila Istari Sidam, Forest Guard, Pandharkawda, in appreciation of their outstanding services. The reward consists of Rs one lakh and commendation certificate.

NTCA has declared this reward to six frontline staff of Forest Department in the country, of them two are from Vidarbha.

Akash Sarda is working as Forest Guard with Wildlife Crime/Cyber Cell, Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati. He extended outstanding services in detecting tiger, leopard and other wild animal poaching cases occurred in Melghat, arresting 20 accused in three tiger poaching cases, court granting them imprisonments, giving live locations of accused to Mumbai, Delhi and other places, etc. He is recipient of Chief Minister’s Wildlife Conservation Award, Wildlife Crime Detection and Protection Award and Award for Wildlife Crime Detection & Decoy Operation in Melghat Tiger Reserve.

Pramila Sidam also extended valuable services during terror created by T1 tigress in Pandharkawda Forest Division in Yavatmal district. The tigress had killed 13 persons in different villages in Pandharkawda and Ralegaon tehsils. Pramila participated in search operation of the menacing tigress and checked camera traps, even after running risk to life.

A Selection Committee of NTCA headed by Inspector General of Forest and consisting of nominee of ADG (WL) and representatives of WWF-India as members discussed on February 28 and made the assessment of individual nominations on the basis of profile of the nominated candidate, recommendations of nominee and uniqueness of the case.

Nominations were received from nine tiger reserves.

Nitin Kakodkar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Maharashtra, congratulated Sarda and Sidam on their success.