Consider the following statements:
(i) Ganges river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal.

(ii) In December 2024, the first ever tagging of Ganges river dolphin in India was conducted in Assam.

(iii) It is funded and implemented by the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India.
Select the correct statement(s) using the codes given below:

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (a) Only (i) and (ii).
Explanation:
· The Ganges river dolphin was declared as India's National Aquatic Animal in 2009, making statement (i) correct.
· In December 2024, India achieved a historic milestone by conducting the first-ever satellite-tagging of a Ganges River Dolphin in Assam. This was done under Project Dolphin to understand the species' migratory patterns and habitat.
· The Ganges river dolphin tagging initiative was funded by the National CAMPA Authority under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), not the Ministry of Water Resources. Therefore, statement (iii) is incorrect. 
Information Booster:
· The Ganges river dolphin is an endangered species and a key indicator of the health of the entire river ecosystem.
· Project Dolphin was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2020 to ensure the conservation of both marine and riverine dolphins.
· The tagging exercise aims to gather crucial data on the dolphins' seasonal and migratory patterns, range, and habitat usage.