Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the Hargila Army on his Mann Ki Baat radio programme, saying the women turned long‑held superstition into a conservation movement.
- Purnima Devi Barman met Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah after Sunday’s Mann Ki Baat, briefing him on recovery progress and offering concrete suggestions for stronger state support.
- The Hargila Army is reported to include roughly 20,000 rural women who protect nesting trees, rescue chicks and run awareness and livelihood activities tied to the stork.
- Conservation gains include a population rise in Assam and an IUCN‑linked status improvement to Near Threatened in December 2023, but threats such as plastic at garbage dumps and habitat pressure persist.
- The movement began after a 2007 incident in which nesting trees were cut and chicks fell, and its mix of local engagement, nest protection and income initiatives is now seen as a model for community‑driven conservation.