Lok Sabha Question No. 2491 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Compensation for Wild Animal Attacks
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dhal Singh Bisen

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2491

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023

## Compensation for Wild Animal Attacks

## 2491. DR. DHAL SINGH BISEN:

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

- (a) the details of loss of life occurred due to wild life attacks in the country during the last five years, State-wise;
- (b) the details of the States where compensation is provided by the states for the loss of life due to wild animal attacks and the quantum thereof;
- (c) the names of the persons provided compensation in the State of Madhya Pradesh during the last five years, district-wise;
- (d) whether there  is  any  provision  of  compensation  for  the  loss  of  life  due  to  wild animal  attacks  by  the  Government  besides  the  State  Government  and  if  so,  the quantum thereof; and
- (e) the number of cases and the names of the persons provided compensation by the Government for the loss of life during the last five years and the details thereof in the State of Madhya Pradesh, district-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) The protection and management of wildlife is primarily the responsibility of the concerned  States/UTs.  As  per  the  information  available  with  the  Ministry,  the details  of  human deaths in  the states  in the last five years due to the attacks  by tigers and elephants are at Annexure-I and Annexure-II .
- (b) to (e) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  provides  financial assistance to States /UT's under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Development of Wildlife Habitats and 'Project Tiger and Elephant' for management  of  wildlife  and  its  habitats,  including ex-gratia payment  for depredation caused by wild animals.

The amount of ex-gratia relief payable under the scheme is as follows:

| S.No   | Nature of damage caused by wild animals   | Amount of ex-gratia relief                                           |
|--------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| i.     | Death or permanent incapacitation         | Rs.5.00 lakhs                                                        |
| ii.    | Grievous injury                           | Rs.2.00 lakhs                                                        |
| iii.   | Minor injury                              | Cost of treatment up to Rs.25,000/- per person                       |
| iv.    | Loss of property/crops                    | State/UT Government may adhere to the cost norms prescribed by them. |

The States/Union Territories make ex-gratia payments for loss of livestock, crops and human life including injuries due to human-wildlife conflicts as per the norms which vary from State to State.

The details of amount paid as ex-gratia in such cases are not collated at the level of  the  Ministry.  However,  as  per  the  information  available  in  the  Ministry,  the details of ex-gratia paid during last five years for victims died due to tiger attacks is as Annexure- III.

***

Annexure-I

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2491 due for reply on 18.12. 2023 regarding human-wildlife encounters.

The details of human deaths due to tiger attack, as reported by States

| S. No.   | State          |   2018 |   2019 |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |
|----------|----------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Assam          |      1 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 2        | Bihar          |      0 |      0 |      1 |      4 |      9 |
| 3        | Karnataka      |      1 |      4 |      0 |      1 |      1 |
| 4        | Kerala         |      0 |      0 |      2 |      0 |      0 |
| 5        | Madhya Pradesh |      2 |      1 |     11 |      2 |      2 |
| 6        | Maharashtra    |      2 |     26 |     25 |     32 |     85 |
| 7        | Orissa         |      2 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 8        | Rajasthan      |      2 |      5 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 9        | Tamil Nadu     |      0 |      0 |      1 |      3 |      0 |
| 10       | Telangana      |      0 |      0 |      2 |      0 |      0 |
| 11       | Uttar Pradesh  |      5 |      8 |      4 |     11 |     11 |
| 12       | Uttarakhand    |      1 |      2 |      0 |      1 |      3 |
| 13       | West Bengal    |     15 |      3 |      5 |      5 |      1 |
| TOTAL    | TOTAL          |     31 |     49 |     51 |     59 |    112 |

## Annexure-II

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2491 due for reply on 18.12. 2023 regarding human-wildlife encounters.

Human casualties due to elephant attack

| S. No.   | State             | 2018-19   | 2019-20   | 2020-21   | 2021-22   |   2022-23 |
|----------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    | 7         | 4         | 6         | NR        |         5 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh | 0         | 0         | 0         | 2         |         0 |
| 3        | Assam             | 84        | 75        | 91        | 63        |        80 |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh      | 61        | 77        | 42        | 64        |        69 |
| 5        | Jharkhand         | 87        | 84        | 74        | 133       |        96 |
| 6        | Karnataka         | 12        | 30        | 23        | 17        |        29 |
| 7        | Kerala            | 27        | 12        | 20        | 25        |        22 |
| 8        | Maharashtra       | 1         | 1         | NR        | 0         |         2 |
| 9        | Meghalaya         | 3         | 4         | 6         | 3         |         3 |
| 10       | Nagaland          | 1         | 0         | 0         | 0         |         1 |
| 11       | Odisha            | 72        | 117       | 93        | 112       |       148 |
| 12       | Tamil Nadu        | 47        | 58        | 57        | 37        |        43 |
| 13       | Tripura           | NR        | 2         | 1         | 2         |         2 |
| 14       | Uttar Pradesh     | 0         | 6         | 1         | 0         |         4 |
| 15       | Uttarakhand       | 3         | NR        | NR        | NR        |         4 |
| 16       | West Bengal       | 52        | 116       | 47        | 77        |        97 |
| Total    | Total             | 457       | 586       | 461       | 535       |       605 |

*NR- Information not received from State

Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) to (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2491 due for reply on 18.12. 2023 regarding human-wildlife encounters.

The details of ex-gratia payment for human deaths due to tiger attack, as reported by States

(Rs. In lakhs)

| S. No.   | State             |   2018 |   2019 |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |
|----------|-------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |   0    |      0 |      0 |    0   |    0   |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |   0    |      0 |      0 |    0   |    0   |
| 3        | Assam             |   0    |      0 |      0 |    0   |    0   |
| 4        | Bihar             |   0    |      0 |      5 |    5   |   30   |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      |   0    |      0 |      0 |    0   |    0   |
| 6        | Jharkhand         |   0    |      0 |      0 |    0   |    0   |
| 7        | Karnataka         |  15    |     20 |      0 |    7.5 |    7.5 |
| 8        | Kerala            |   0    |      0 |     10 |    0   |    0   |
| 9        | Madhya Pradesh    |  12.08 |      4 |     40 |    0   |    4   |
| 10       | Maharashtra       |   0    |    360 |    402 |  420   | 1395   |
| 11       | Mizoram           |   0    |      0 |      0 |    0   |    0   |
| 12       | Orissa            |   0.8  |      0 |      0 |    0   |    0   |
| 13       | Rajasthan         |   8    |     20 |      0 |    0   |    0   |
| 14       | Tamil Nadu        |   0    |      0 |      4 |   12   |    0   |
| 15       | Telangana         |   0    |      0 |     10 |    0   |    0   |
| 16       | Uttar Pradesh     |  14    |     10 |     20 |   43   |   34   |
| 17       | Uttarakhand       |   3    |      7 |      0 |    4   |    4   |
| 18       | West Bengal       |   2.5  |      0 |      4 |   16   |    4   |
|          | Total             |  55.38 |    421 |    495 |  507.5 | 1478.5 |

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