Srinagar, August 11 (KNS): Jammu & Kashmir received ?1.01 crore over the past five years under the Centre’s flagship Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) scheme, data tabled in the Lok Sabha shows.

Figures reveal that J&K was sanctioned ?5.17 lakh in 2020–21, ?9.30 lakh in 2023–24, and ?7.91 lakh in 2024–25 under the ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’ sub-scheme but no funds were released in 2021–22 and 2022–23.

The actual utilisation, however, paints a starker picture: just ?80,630 was spent in 2020–21, followed by ?69,580 in 2023–24 and ?73,970 in 2024–25.

Officials attribute the funding gaps to delayed or incomplete Annual Plan of Operations (APOs) submitted by the UT, a prerequisite for releases under the centrally sponsored scheme.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThe IDWH supports habitat improvement, anti-poaching, human–wildlife conflict mitigation, eco-development with local communities, and focused species conservation from snow leopards to Himalayan brown bears.

Nationwide, the scheme has expanded India’s protected area network from 745 sites in 2014 to 1,134 by February 2025, adding over 18,000 sq km of legally protected habitat.

The Environment Ministry maintains that proposals from states and UTs are sanctioned “from time to time” after scrutiny, but for J&K the challenge is now as much about paperwork as it is about poaching.(KNS)