1st March, 2018

Union environment ministry raises compensation to Rs5 lakh from Rs2 lakh for death and permanent incapacitation to humans

New Delhi: Holding that human-wildlife conflict has become a burning issue in the past few years, the Union environment ministry has raised the compensation for death and permanent incapacitation to humans to Rs5 lakh from up from Rs2 lakh earlier.

Harsh Vardhan-led Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) earlier this month also enhanced compensation for people suffering grievous injury, minor injury or suffer damage to crop or property in human-wildlife conflict.

The move is significant as every year hundreds of people are killed in human-wildlife conflict and property/crops worth crores of rupees are damaged across the country.

Between 2014-15 and 2017-18 (till November 2017), a total of 1,557 people were killed due to human-elephant conflict. During the same period, about Rs180 crore were paid as compensation for loss of life (Rs37.31 crore) and damage to crop/property (Rs143.27 crore) by elephants.

“Human-wildlife conflict is one of the burning issues and is being raised in various fora. Several representations have been received in the ministry to take steps towards mitigation of human-wildlife conflict and to enhance the compensation amount for death/injuries/damage to crops or property,” noted a letter sent by MoEFCC to all states earlier this month. The letter, dated 9 February, was reviewed by Mint.

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