As Project Tiger completes 50 years since its launch in 1973, the Union Government — through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) — called for the formation of four working groups in early February 2026 to review and modernise the programme. The groups are organised by India's four major tiger landscapes: North, South, East, and West. Each group is tasked with reviewing 28 major NTCA policy decisions taken over five decades, assessing regional conservation pressures, and recommending reforms to address human-wildlife conflict, corridor connectivity, buffer zone management, and emerging threats such as climate change.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav stated that '50 years of tiger conservation is a time for policy reset,' calling for a forward-looking revision of frameworks developed in an earlier ecological context. India's tiger population has grown from fewer than 1,800 in 1973 to 3,682 in the 2022 census — the highest in the world. India hosts over 75% of the world's wild tiger population. India has 58 notified tiger reserves occupying nearly 2.5% of the country's geographical area.

For Rajasthan, this is particularly relevant as the state hosts Ranthambore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills, and Ramgarh Vishdhari tiger reserves. Ranthambore is one of India's most successful tiger conservation stories, while Sariska — once declared tiger-free in 2004 — has been successfully restocked through translocation. The expert groups' recommendations will shape reserve management and corridor policy in Rajasthan for the next decade.