The Government has set up a Task Force for more effective conservation and management of elephants in India. The eleven-member task force to be headed by Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan of Delhi University will device an institutional framework for project elephant that was launched in 1992 with the objective to protect the elephants. The panel will recommend appropriate changes in the existing wild lifle protection act and examine the issues relating to elephant reserves and human-elephant conflict. The committee will also suggest steps for training and certification of Mahouts, the veterinarian care of the elephants, creation of rescue centres and monitoring of captive animals. AIR correspondent reports that the committee will also suggest methodology for tracking and estimating the number of wild and captive elephants. <br/><br/>There are over 27 thousand elephants in the country, which is 60 per cent of the global number of wild Asian elephants and though project elephant was set up 18 years ago, but unlike project tiger, which gets a lots of funds and attention, project elephant has been neglected. The last census on elephants was carried out in 2007 and no survey has taken place after that. The monitoring system for elephans also need to be streamlined. The task force will not only identify and define elephant reserves and ranges but also developed uniform rules for better up keep and care of elephants and give fresh impetus to project elephant.