Lok Sabha Question No. 2441 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-09
Subject: Damage to Agriculture Crops by Wild Life
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: BHAGIRATH PRASAD

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2441

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.03.2018

## Damage to Agriculture Crops by Wild Life

## 2441. DR. BHAGIRATH PRASAD:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the wild life nuisance to agriculture by Neel Gaya, wild cows and stray cattle;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  scale  of  damage  to  agriculture  crops  and inconvenience caused to farmers in this regard; and
- (c) the  legal  provisions  to  tackle  the  problem  and  the  corrective  measures  taken  by  the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) and (b) Incidences of damage to crops by wild animals, including Neelgai etc as well as inconvenience caused to farmers are reported from time to time. However, the management  of  forest  and  wildlife  is  the  responsibility  of  concerned  State Governments.  Details  of  damage  to  agriculture  crops  are  not  collated  in  the Ministry.
- (c) The important legal provisions to tackle the problem of damage of crops by wild animals and the  measures taken by the Government in this regard are:
- i. Under  Section  11(b)  of  the  Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972,  the Chief Wildlife Warden  or the authorised  officer  is empowered to permit  hunting of wild animals  specified in Schedule II, III and IV if    the  species    becomes  dangerous  to  human  life  or    property including  standing crops  or disabled or diseased beyond recovery.
- ii. Under section  62  of  the  Act,  any  wild  animals  other  than  those  in Schedule  I  and  part  II  Schedule  II  can  be  declared  as  vermin  for specified period.
- iii. Keeping  in  view  the  losses  to  crops  inflicted  by  the  wild  animals including  Nilgai  and  Wild  pig,  this  Ministry,  on  24 th December, 2014 issued an advisory to the States highlighting the legal
- provisions  under  the  Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972  to  deal  with the  human-wildlife  conflict  situations.  Vide  this  advisory,  Ministry has also sought proposals from State/Union Territory Governments, after objective assessment of the situation with details of the areas in which  notification  under  section  62  of  the  Act,  declaring  any  wild animals as vermin for specified period, could be helpful in management of conflict.
- iv. The  Ministry  provides financial assistance to State/Union Territory Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of 'Integrated Development  of  Wildlife  Habitats',  'Project  Tiger'  and  'Project Elephant' for management of wildlife and its habitats in the country. The  activities  supported  under  the  Schemes inter alia include construction/erection of physical barriers, such as barbed wire fence, solar powered electric fence, bio-fencing using cactus boundary walls etc. to prevent the entry of wild animals into crop fields; improvement  of  wildlife  habitat  of  wild  animals  from  forests  to habitations  and  setting  up  of  anti-depredation  squads  to  drive  away problematic animals.
- v. An  advisory  was  issued  by  Ministry  of  Agriculture  vide  CPS  71/2009-NFSM dated 7 th March, 2012, to the range States of Blue bull on management of Blue bull for protecting the agriculture.
- vi. Ministry has also formulated a scheme 'Augmentation of Fodder & Water Scheme  in Protected Areas/Forest Areas' under central component  of  the  fund  managed  by  Compensatory  Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). The scheme is primarily  for  augmentation  of  fodder  and  water  sources  for  wild herbivores within the Protected Area/Forests areas.
- vii. The Ministry has approved a pilot project on the  immunocontraception for controlling the population of wild animals responsible for damage and destruction, namely; elephant, wild boar, monkey, and nilgai.
- viii. The  Ministry  has  recently  notified  enhancement  of ex-gratia rates related wildlife depredation.

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