Mumbai: The Indian government will respect 335 frontline forest staff from Maharashtra with Patra Sanman for their contributions in wildlife conservation.
Front line staff, which include forest workers, forest guards, foresters and forest officers range, respected as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav because they have spent more than 75 months working in the most remote parts with minimum facilities.
There are 50 protection, six national parks and 15 conservation reserves in Maharashtra which formed protected areas.
Some of these overlap with six tiger reserves.
The tiger population in the state in 2006 was 103 and is now estimated at around 350.