India’s Wildlife crime control bureau gets UN award

951
वाइल्ड लाइफ क्राइम कंट्रोल ब्यूरो
Tilottma Varma receives UN award for WCCB

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau ( WCCB) of india has been awarded with the prestigious Asia Environment Enforcement Award for its excellent work in combating trans-boundary environmental crimes. The Asia Environment Enforcement Award, given by the United Nations Environment Protection, recognizes excellence in enforcement by government officials and institutions/teams combating trans-boundary environmental crimes in the continent. UNEP handed over the award to WCCB bureau head Tilotama Varma at a function in Delhi. She handed over the award to Union Science and Technology minister Dr Harshvardhan.

Wildlife crime control bureau
IPS officer Tilotama Varma hands over UNEP award to Environment minister Dr Harshvardhan which Wildlife crime control bureau got award

The 2018 award, given to WCCB, belonged to ‘Innovation’ category for adopting techniques that have dramatically increased enforcement of trans-boundary environmental crimes in India. The environment ministry said that the Board has developed an online Wildlife Crime Database Management System so that it can get real time data in order to help analyse trends in crime and devise effective measures to prevent and detect wildlife crimes across India. WCCB is a statutory multi-disciplinary body established by the government under the Environment Ministry to combat organized wildlife crime in the country.
WCCB head and additional Director IPS officer Tilotama Varma said that the database collected by the organisation can be used by officials of 34 state government and union terroteries and 50 tiger reserve. The database has information about 1800 hunters who have targetted leopards, rhinoceros, turtles. In 2017-18, the crime bureau took part in operation thunder storm and operation save kurma. Like others, hunters use technology to make money. The bureau has prepared counter strategy to deal with hunters.
The WCCB works under the Science and Technology minister headed by Dr Harsha vardhan.