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The Bombay Natural History Society will get funds willed by late India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla for its bird protection projects.
"Kalpana had left $3 lakh with the American National Audubon Society and a portion of it will be given to BNHS projects," BNHS Director Dr Asad R Rahmani said in Mumbai on Wednesday.
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The BNHS will initiate two conservation projects in the memory of Kalpana, who died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster on February 1 this year, Rahmani said.
The projects are 'Kalpana Chawla Indian Threatened Bird Trust Fund' and 'Kalpana Chawla Memorial Conservation Education Centre'.
The latter will be built at Kalpana's hometown in Haryana, he said.
"Soon after the tragedy, BNHS was informed that Kalpana wanted to help an Indian organisation to protect environment and birds," he said, adding the BNHS submitted both the projects to her family through the UK-based Royal Society for Protection of Birds.
Kalpana was reported as remarking from the space that "it is important to protect earth".