States did not demarcate boundaries of many of Tiger Reserves and also not legally cordoned areas falling within the Tiger Reserves

The Project Tiger Directorate had only 7 personnel that could not monitor, manage, alert, collate, or assimilate reports coming in from Tiger Reserves

The project was unable to relocate people living within the Tiger Reserves or prevent encroachment adding to the biotic pressure on the tiger population. This was primarily due to lack of funding; while the plan called for Rs. 11,000 crore (USD 2.39 billion) to relocate 64,950 families, the Federal Government allocated only Rs. 10.50 crore (USD 2.2 million).

The CAG has underscored the importance of relocating the families residing in the forests so the tiger has a chance to bounce back after decades of poaching, mismanagement, and encroachment. This recommendation is in sharp contrast to the recent Forest Bill that was passed in the Parliament which guaranteed tribal and non-tribal forest dwellers right to live in the forest. Worse still is the proposed Tribal Bill that seeks to grant the forests to these dwellers.

While the shock of such gross mismanagement will slowly sink in, what is more urgent is the apparent lack of process that will review these large but environmentally and socially critical programs. It is also becoming very clear that there is no accountability of politicians who run the Government or bureaucrats who are supposed to manage them.