New Delhi, March 29 -- Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that he had called for the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard, after which the then Gujarat Chief Minister (now PM) Narendra Modi started working on protecting the bird's natural habitat.

The birth of a Great Indian Bustard ('Ghorad') chick in the Abdasa region of Kutch on Thursday, after a decade, marked a historic moment. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that this was the result of PM Modi's vision in 2011 and the launch of Project GIB in 2016.

However, citing his letter to PM Modi in 2010, Jairam Ramesh stated that he had suggested the conservation and revival of the Great Indian Bustard. He added that in March 1961, ornithologist Salim Ali...