**Summary:**
This document summarizes the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3573, concerning tigers outside tiger reserves (TOTR), answered on August 11, 2025.
The Ministry, through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), has formulated a project for the management of TOTR areas. This project, designed as a preventive strategy to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, is based on scientific data from the 5th cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation and state-provided data on human-wildlife conflict. The project document is currently under consideration by the Ministry.
The response clarifies that no specific legal or administrative status has been conferred upon areas designated as TOTR at this time. The government is considering publishing comprehensive guidelines for identification, management, and monitoring of TOTR regions.
Finally, the Ministry confirms that no proposal has been received from the State Government of Kerala or any agency therein for either the translocation of tigers from Kerala to other states, or for modifications/simplifications to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for tigers or related guidelines for other wild animals.
Key Entities Referenced
Tigers Outside Tiger Reserve: A scheme (TOTR) related to the management of tigers outside designated tiger reserve areas.
National Tiger Conservation Authority: An authority involved in formulating a project for the management of Tigers outside Tiger Reserves and receiving proposals from state governments related to tigers.
Kerala: A State in India from which proposals regarding tiger translocation and modifications to standard operating procedures have been mentioned.
All India Tiger Estimation: A periodic exercise that collects scientific data relevant to tiger populations, used in the project document for managing tigers outside tiger reserves.
SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH: Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, who provided the answer to the Lok Sabha question.
LOK SABHA: House of the Parliament of India, where the unstarred question was raised.
ADV DEAN KURIAKOSE: The person who raised the unstarred question regarding tigers outside tiger reserves in the Lok Sabha.
Standard Operating Procedures: SOPs for tigers or related guidelines for other wild animals
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3573
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025
Tiger Outside Tiger Reserve
3573. ADV DEAN KURIAKOSE:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to s
tate:
(a) whether the Government has issued any guidelines, policy documents, or operational
frameworks with regard to the "Tigers Outside Tiger Reserve" (TOTR) scheme, if so,
the details thereof;
(b) whether any legal or administrative special status is conferred/to be conferred upon
areas designated as TOTR, if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to publish comprehensive guidelines for
identification, management and monitoring of TOTR regions, if so, the details
thereof;
(d) whether the Government has received any proposal from the State Government of
Kerala or any agency therein for translocation of tigers from high-density tiger
habitats within Kerala to low-density habitats in other States; and
(e) whether any proposal has been received from the said State for seeking modifications
or simplifications to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for tigers or related
guidelines for other wild animals, with the objective of reducing the intensity and
frequency of attacks on people in Kerala?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) to (c) The National Tiger Conservation Authority has formulated a project for
management of Tigers outside Tiger Reserves, which is a preventive strategy
to deal with human-wildlife conflict. The Project document is based on
scientific data collected from the 5th cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation
exercise as well as data of human-wildlife conflict collated from the States.
The project is under active consideration of the Ministry.
(d) & (e) No such proposal for translocation of tigers has been received from the State
of Kerala by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
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