During former President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Kaziranga National Park in Assam in February 2022, Rs 1.1 crore from a fund designated to tiger conservation was reportedly misappropriated. The money was used to purchase food, tents, carpets, and souvenirs, as revealed by an official response to an RTI filed by Rohit Choudhury of Assam. The office of the Kaziranga field director stated that Rs 1.1 lakh was reportedly misappropriated from the Kaziranga Tiger Conservation Foundation, and Rs 51 lakh was siphoned from a general wildlife fund. The state forest minister accepted the charges and indicated that the government is ‘looking into’ the problem, implying that an investigation into the alleged abuse of money will be conducted. Choudhury had referenced the field director of Kaziranga’s November 30, 2022, response to his May 18 RTI request to seek additional investigation into the matter.
