Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release cheetahs brought from Namibia in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park on Saturday as part of his efforts to revitalise and diversify the country's wildlife and habitat, his office said.

Cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. The cheetahs that would be released are from Namibia and have been brought under an MoU signed earlier this year.?On September 17, which is also Modi's birthday, the prime minister will also participate in Self Help Group (SHG) Sammelan later that day with women SHG members/community resource persons at Karahal, Sheopur.

Prime Minister Modi will visit Madhya Pradesh on September 17 and at around 10:45 AM he will release cheetahs in Kuno National Park, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. The release of wild cheetahs by the prime minister in Kuno National Park is part of his efforts to revitalise and diversify India’s wildlife and its habitat, the statement said.

The introduction of cheetah in India is being done under Project Cheetah, which is world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project, the statement said.?Cheetahs will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems in India, it said.

This will help conserve biodiversity and enhance ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture conservation, benefiting the society at large.?This effort, in line with the prime minister's commitment towards environment protection and wildlife conservation, will also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community through eco-development and eco-tourism activities, the statement said.

Prime Minister Modi will also participate in the SHG Sammelan that will witness the attendance of thousands of women Self Help Group (SHG) members/community resource persons that are being promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

During the programme, Prime Minister Modi will also be inaugurating four Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) skilling centres under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

DAY-NRLM aims at mobilising rural poor households into SHGs in a phased manner and provide them long-term support to diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes and quality of life, the statement said.

The Mission is also working towards empowering the women SHG members through awareness generation and behaviour change communication on issues like domestic violence, women’s education and other gender related concerns, nutrition, sanitation, health etc., it said.

(With PTI inputs)