Prime Minister Modi lauds launch of an ambulance for dolphins

By Damini S

New Delhi, June 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the launch of Dolphin Ambulance under the Namami Gange project while taking about a recent rescue operation in which some fresh water dolphins trapped in a canal in Uttar Pradesh were rescued and released back to its natural habitat.

The dolphin ambulance, which was launched on January 13, 2026 under the Namami Gange campaign, featured in Prime Minister Modi's monthly address 'Mann Ki Baat' broadcast through Akashvani and Doordarshan.

“This is an incident from Uttar Pradesh, a Ganga Dolphin got trapped in a canal. Under this circumstance, an ambulance introduced under the Namami Gange Project, came as a ray of hope for the dolphin. The dolphin was brought out with utmost care, it was examined and treated and, thereafter, it was released in Rapti river. You can say that the living creature returned back to its habitat. Friends, this dolphin rescue ambulance has been prepared as a hospital on the move. It has provisions to keep dolphines safely. It has facility for oxygen and special stretcher and rescue equipment. If a dolphin gets injured or gets trapped outside its habitat, it can be immediately rescued,” Prime Minister Modi said in his address to the nation.

“Friends, when we conserve Ganga dolphin we don’t just conserve a species but we preserve the diversity of river Ganga. We also preserve nature's precious heritage for the future generations,” he added.

Though the Prime Minister mentioned about the rescue of a dolphin, actually eight dolphins trapped in a canal were rescued.

It may be noted that India has declared Ganga river stretching from Sultanganj to Kahalgoan in Bihar as Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary. The fresh water Gangetic dolphin has been declared an endarged species. These dolphins are nearly blind and rely on echolocation to navigate and hunt for food.