Sasan, 3 Mar 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a lion safari at Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat's Junagadh district on Monday morning, on the occasion of the World Wildlife Day, during his tour of the state.

Modi had a night halt at Sinh Sadan, a forest guest house managed by the state forest department, in Sasan after his arrival from Somnath where he offered prayers at the Lord Shiv temple, the first among 12 jyotirlingas, on Sunday evening.

From Sinh Sadan, the PM went on the lion safari, with some ministers and senior forest department officials accompanying him.

At Sasan Gir, the headquarters of the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, the prime minister will also chair the seventh meeting of the National Board for Wildlife.

The NBWL has 47 members, including the Chief of Army Staff, members from different states, representatives from NGOs working in this field, chief wildlife wardens and secretaries from various states.

After the meeting, Modi will also interact with some women forest staffers at Sasan.

The central government has approved more than Rs 2,900 crore for Project Lion, meant for the conservation of Asiatic lions for which Gujarat is the only abode, stated a government release.

Currently, the Asiatic lions inhabit nearly 30,000 square kilometres across 53 talukas in 9 districts of Gujarat, it said.

Additionally, as part of a national project, a National Referral Center for Wildlife is being established on over 20.24 hectares of land at New Pipalya in Junagadh district, it said.

A high-tech monitoring centre for wildlife tracking and a state-of-the-art hospital have also been set up in Sasan to strengthen conservation efforts, the release said.

On Sunday, Modi also visited Vantara, an animal rescue, conservation and rehabilitation centre located at the Reliance Jamnagar refinery complex.

It is a rescue centre dedicated to the welfare of captive elephants and wildlife, providing sanctuary, rehabilitation and medical care to animals rescued from abuse and exploitation.