Lok Sabha Question No. 4370 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-13
Subject: Reserved Forests
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Mimi Chakraborty, Dibyendu Adhikari

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4370

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.12.2019.

## Reserved Forests

## 4370. MS. MIMI CHAKRABORTY: SHRI DIBYENDU ADHIKARI:

- (a) whether  it  is  true  that  the  incidents  of  poaching  of  animals  in  reserved  forests  and sanctuaries have risen during the last five years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, year/ UT-wise; and
- (c) the remedial measures adopted by the Government to check the menace of poaching?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a)& (b) As  per  information  received  from  Wildlife  Crime  Control  Bureau,  the  Bureau received data related to detection of Wildlife Crime from State Forest and Police Authorities,  the  details  of  wildlife  crime  cases  for  last  five  years  are  given  at Annexure .
- (c) The major steps taken by the Government to tackle the issue of poaching in the country are as follows:
- i. The  Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972  provides  for  punishment  for violation  of  its  provisions.  The  Act  also  provides  for  forfeiture  of  any equipment,  vehicle  or  weapon  that  is  used  for  committing  wildlife offence(s).
- ii. Law  enforcement  authorities  in  the  States  maintain  strict  vigil  against poaching of wild animals.
- iii. Wildlife  Crime  Control  Bureau  has  been  set  up  to  gather  intelligence about poaching and unlawful trade in wild animals and animal articles and to achieve inter-state and trans-boundary coordination in enforcement of wildlife laws.
- iv. The State/Union Territory Governments have been requested to strengthen the field formations and intensify patrolling in and around Protected Areas.
- v. Protected Areas, viz., National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves covering important wildlife habitats have been
- created  all  over  the  country  under  the  provisions  of  the  Wild  Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to conserve wild animals and their habitats.
- vi. Financial assistance is provided to the State/Union Territory Governments under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  of  'Development  of  Wildlife Habitats',  'Project  Tiger'  and  'Project  Elephant',  for  providing  better protection to wildlife including leopards and improvement of habitat.

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## Annexure

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (A)  AND  (B)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4370 REGARDING 'RESERVED FORESTS' BY MS. MIMI CHAKRABORTY AND SHRI DIBYENDU ADHIKARI DUE FOR REPLY ON 13.12.2019.

WILDLIFE CRIME CASE PROVIDED BY STATE/UT'S FOREST AND POLICE AUTHORITIES IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS:

| S. NO.   | STSES                    | 2014   | 2015   | 2016   | 2017   | 2018   |
|----------|--------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar Islands | NA     | NA     | NA     | 2      | NA     |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh           | 49     | 48     | 39     | 13     | 2      |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh        | 5      | 2      | 6      | 2      | 2      |
| 4        | Assam                    | 45     | 17     | 7      | 3      | 32     |
| 5        | Bihar                    | 1      | 6      | 12     | NA     | 4      |
| 6        | Chandigarh               | 1      | NA     | 7      | 4      | NA     |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh             | 60     | 28     | 42     | 40     | 15     |
| 8        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli      | NA     | NA     | NA     | NA     | NA     |
| 9        | Daman &Diu               | NA     | NA     | NA     | NA     | NA     |
| 10       | Delhi                    | 23     | 24     | 11     | 1      | 3      |
| 11       | Goa                      | 16     | 11     | 11     | 3      | 1      |
| 12       | Gujarat                  | 24     | 41     | 58     | 44     | 10     |
| 13       | Haryana                  | 15     | NA     | 1      | NA     | 5      |
| 14       | Himachal Pradesh         | 18     | 8      | 19     | 15     | 10     |
| 15       | Jammu &Kashmir           | NA     | 1      | NA     | NA     | 1      |
| 16       | Jharkhand                | 1      | 4      | 1      | 6      | 10     |
| 17       | Karnataka                | 14     | 38     | 17     | 28     | 15     |
| 18       | Kerala                   | 7      | 20     | 26     | 33     | 8      |
| 19       | Lakshadweep              | NA     | 1      | NA     | NA     | NA     |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh           | 231    | 23     | 21     | 18     | 37     |
| 21       | Maharashtra              | 82     | 12     | 19     | 10     | 45     |
| 22       | Manipur                  | 7      | 18     | 11     | 1      | NA     |
| 23       | Meghalaya                | 7      | 6      | NA     | 1      | 3      |
| 24       | Mizoram                  | 15     | 24     | 6      | 4      | 1      |
| 25       | Nagaland                 | 3      | 1      | 3      | NA     | 2      |
| 26       | Odisha                   | 17     | 51     | 13     | 8      | 6      |
| 27       | Puducherry               | NA     | NA     | NA     | NA     | NA     |
| 28       | Punjab                   | 35     | 14     | 13     | 12     | 9      |
| 29       | Rajasthan                | 141    | 18     | 9      | 1      | 5      |
| 30       | Sikkim                   | 1      | NA     | NA     | NA     | 1      |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu               | 174    | 67     | 40     | 25     | 35     |
| 32       | Telangana                | 16     | 6      | 16     | 6      | 2      |
| 33       | Tripura                  | 2      | NA     | 1      | NA     | 1      |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh            | 375    | 98     | 100    | 31     | 48     |
| 35       | Uttarakhand              | 12     | 8      | 23     | 27     | 19     |
| 36       | West Bengal              | 103    | 103    | 33     | 4      | 56     |
|          | TOTAL                    | 1500   | 698    | 565    | 342    | 388    |