Actor Farooq Shaikh stressed on the need to pressurize the government to take swifter and severe sanction against violators of tiger conservation laws.

"We all need to get together and more than people who live in the cities. We need to have some sort of a pressure brought upon the government of India so that swifter sanction and more severe sanction is imposed upon the people who violate these laws either knowingly or unknowingly," said Farooq Shaikh, actor.

The 'Tiger Conservation Programme' is aimed at increasing awareness on tiger conservation and providing alternative livelihood programmes for the villagers around national parks and protected areas and to prevent them from indulging in poaching activities.

India is home to half the world's surviving tigers, but conservationists say it is losing the battle to save them. There were about 40,000 tigers in India a century ago.

A count conducted in 2001 and 2002 suggested the number had fallen to around 3,700, after decades of poaching and habitat destruction.

Trade in tiger parts and products are illegal, but poachers still operate with impunity because a single animal can fetch up to 50,000 dollars in the international market.

Besides the highly priced tiger skins, organs, teeth, bones and penises of the big cats fetch high prices in the black market, where they are used in Chinese medicine.