Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 September 2026 — World Rhino Day — announced Project Rhino, a dedicated initiative to extend financial and technical support to states that are home to the greater one-horned rhinoceros. The announcement marks a significant step toward institutionalising India's rhino conservation efforts under a single coordinated framework.

What Project Rhino Covers

The initiative will address multiple dimensions of rhino conservation simultaneously, including animal protection, habitat management, genetic improvement, and a deeper understanding of population dynamics. By channelling both financial resources and technical expertise to rhino-range states, the Centre aims to move beyond piecemeal measures toward a landscape-level strategy. This approach mirrors the template of other flagship species programmes such as Project Tiger and Project Lion.

India's Rhino Conservation Record

India's conservation track record on the species is among the strongest globally. Assam alone now accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the world's greater one-horned rhinoceros population, with Kaziranga National Park serving as the country's single largest habitat. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Orang National Park are other key sites within the state. The greater one-horned rhino's global range is concentrated primarily in India and Nepal.

Range Expansion Beyond Assam

Modi highlighted conservation gains beyond Assam's borders. Rhinos have either returned to or are now well protected in parts of Bihar and West Bengal. Notably, the reintroduction programme at Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh is being described by the Prime Minister as 'creating history'. These developments signal a gradual expansion of the species' secure range across its historical habitat.

What Modi Said

In a post on X, Modi lauded wildlife officials, conservationists, forest personnel, and local communities for their sustained role in rhino protection. 'On World Rhino Day, we celebrate the magnificent greater one-horned rhinoceros and laud all those at the forefront of its protection,' he wrote. He credited the collective commitment of communities, conservationists, and state governments for the progress achieved in active wildlife management across rhino-range states.

What Comes Next

Project Rhino is expected to provide an institutional framework for scaling up these gains through coordinated scientific and financial interventions. The specifics of funding quantum and state-wise allocation are yet to be detailed, but the announcement sets the policy intent clearly. All eyes are now on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to flesh out the operational guidelines and roll out disbursements to participating states.