Bengaluru, 10 January 2025: Taking a major step towards enhancing wildlife crime prevention, the Karnataka Forest Department, in partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and with support from NTT DATA, a leading provider of digital business and IT services, officially launched the ‘Peregrine’ module of the HAWK (Hostile Activity Watch Kernel) software, also known as “Garudakshi.” The launch event, held on 7 January 2025 at Vikasa Soudha, Bengaluru was presided over by Shri Eshwar B Khandre, Hon’ble Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment.
NTT DATA’s collaboration with WTI began in 2022 with the development of the HAWK system, a specialized software aimed at modernizing the Karnataka Forest Department’s approach to forest and wildlife crime management. The first module, Kestrel,’ of Garudakshi, was introduced the same year with financial backing from NTT DATA, marking a major milestone in digitizing the state’s offence management. The Kestrel Module consolidates details of all pending cases across Karnataka, providing officials with a centralized platform to monitor case progress and tackle backlogs effectively. This streamlined data access empowers the department with timely insights to expedite decision-making and reduce case pendency.
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Building on this digital transformation, the department has now launched the ‘Peregrine’ Module, a comprehensive tool for managing wildlife crimes. This advanced module covers the entire lifecycle of crime management—from initial reporting to final court verdicts—and includes features for generating essential case documentation. Designed to make offence management entirely paperless, Peregrine minimizes documentation errors through guided dropdowns and clear instructions, enhancing both accuracy and efficiency in case handling.
To ensure successful adoption, the Wildlife Trust of India, with NTT DATA’s support, has conducted eight training sessions, training close to 1,000 Karnataka Forest Department officers on the Kestrel Module. These sessions provide hands-on guidance, equipping officers to maximize the potential of Garudakshi for enhanced field effectiveness.
The Karnataka Forest Department’s ongoing digital transformation reflects its commitment to creating a robust framework for protecting the state’s invaluable wildlife and forest resources. The launch of the Peregrine Module marks a new chapter in this mission, advancing accountability, precision, and speed in wildlife crime management across Karnataka.
Shri Eshwar B Khandre, Hon’ble Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment said, “The Forest Department must modernize to address contemporary challenges. In association with the Wildlife Trust of India, the Information Communication Technology Wing of the Karnataka Forest Department has developed this Garudakshi (HAWK) software to streamline the management of forest and wildlife cases. This initiative will enable senior officials to monitor cases more effectively and marks a new beginning in offence management within the department. With this software, we aim to take a significant step toward preventing forest crimes.”
Commenting on the occasion, Jose Louies, CEO, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said, “A centralised system to monitor and manage wildlife crime will help the state forest department in many ways as it will be transparent, timesaving and also will increase the efficiency of response. We are extremely happy to partner with the Karnataka state government to launch the HAWK system, a major step in digitising wildlife offence management. Our sincere thanks go to NTT DATA for their invaluable support in making this visionary initiative a reality.”
Gauri Bahulkar, Senior Director, Global Corporate Social Responsibility, NTT DATA Services, said, “We are honoured to partner with the Wildlife Trust of India to support the Forest Department’s transformative shift from paper-based to digital reporting. This initiative exemplifies how technology can be leveraged to drive meaningful societal impact in a rapidly evolving world. At NTT DATA, our goal is to use technology to foster sustainable change. We hope to enable this digital transformation across more states in India, streamlining forest operations for frontline teams and enhancing efforts in wildlife and forest conservation.”
About Wildlife Trust of India
Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is a conservation organization established in 1998 with a mission to conserve nature, especially endangered species and threatened habitats, in partnership with communities and governments. In its 25 years of operations, WTI has saved more than 48,000 animal lives, trained and equipped over 20,000 frontline forest staff, and assisted the govt. in creating 7 Protected Areas, sensitized 26 lakh children to conservation, protected almost 1200 sq km of natural habitat including mangroves and coral reefs and assisted enforcement agencies in combatting wildlife crimes.
About Karnataka Forest Department
The Karnataka Forest Department has the primary mandate of protecting the forests and wildlife, conserving the rich biodiversity of the state and ensuring that the ecological balance of the forest ecosystems is maintained. The total recorded forest area of the State is 43,382 sq. km and it has a network of Protected Areas with 5 Tiger Reserves, 30 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 15 Conservation Reserves and 1 Community Reserve.
About NTT DATA
NTT DATA is a $30+ billion trusted global innovator of business and technology services. We serve 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and are committed to helping clients innovate, optimize and transform for long-term success. As a Global Top Employer, we have diverse experts in more than 50 countries and a robust partner ecosystem of established and start-up companies. Our services include business and technology consulting, data and artificial intelligence, industry solutions, as well as the development, implementation and management of applications, infrastructure and connectivity. We are also one of the leading providers of digital and AI infrastructure in the world. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3.6 billion each year in R&D to help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future.
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