Assam: Human-wildlife conflict death compensation hiked to Rs 6 lakh

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In a major policy intervention to strengthen human-wildlife conflict mitigation in the state, the Assam Government has increased the compensation for loss of human life in incidents of human-wildlife conflict from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. The enhanced compensation will be disbursed through the Corpus Fund maintained by the respective Deputy Commissioners, ensuring quicker financial assistance to bereaved families.

The decisions, approved and notified by the Environment, Forest & Climate Change Department on Wednesday, followed the consultative meeting on human-animal conflict held at the Assam Legislative Assembly on July 15. Assam Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Jayanta Mallabaruah has communicated the decisions to all MLAs through official letters, seeking their cooperation in implementing the initiatives across their respective constituencies.

In another key decision, the Government has revised crop damage compensation from Rs 7,500 per family to Rs 8,000 per bigha, providing enhanced financial support to farmers whose crops are damaged by wild animals.

To strengthen long-term mitigation efforts, the Government has constituted Zonal Human-Wildlife Conflict Risk Reduction Committees across different conflict-prone landscapes in the state. The committees comprise Members of Parliament, MLAs, representatives of the Forest Department, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), and experts from relevant fields.

Addressing the growing monkey menace affecting agriculture and horticulture in several districts, the Government has also decided to undertake a detailed feasibility study on launching a Monkey Sterilisation Programme in the state.

A joint team of officials from the Forest and Veterinary Departments will visit Himachal Pradesh to study the functioning of Specialised Monkey Sterilisation Centres, examine the surgical methods adopted there, and assess the effectiveness of the programme before deciding whether to implement a similar initiative in Assam.

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