Pilibhit (UP), March 27 : The International Executive Committee (IEC) approved six tiger reserves in India, including the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) for CATS (Conservation Assured Tiger Standards), for fulfilling minimum standards for tiger conservation and effective management of reserves. The other five tiger reserves awarded with this global approval include the Kali tiger reserve in Karnataka, Periyar tiger reserve in Kerala, Melghat, Tadoba-Andhari, and Nawegaon-Nagzira tiger reserves of Maharashtra. Principal chief conservator of forest (project tiger) in UP, Sunil Chaudhary, said, "CAITS is a set of 17 elements which call for the associated standards and criteria for the tiger reserve management. PTR is the second reserve in UP to be awarded the approval. The first is Dudhwa tiger reserve which secured its place among 14 tiger reserves of the country, out of a total of 54, which had been crowned with this global approval on July 29, 2021, on the occasion of global tiger day." /IANS