Lok Sabha Question No. 5890 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Snakebite as Notifiable Disease
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5890

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## Snakebite as Notifiable Disease

## 5890. DR. PRABHA MALLIKARJUN:

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

- (a) the number of States/Union Territories that have declared snakebite cases and deaths as a  notifiable  disease  under  their  respective  public  health  laws  pursuant  to  the  recent advisory issued by the Central Government;
- (b) the number of snakebite-related deaths reported in various States/Union Territories during the last five years and the current year, year-wise;
- (c) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment/study of the increasing incidence of human-snake conflict in forest fringe and rural areas and its linkage with habitat loss, climate variability and ecological imbalance;
- (d) whether any guidelines or  programmes have been implemented under wildlife conservation  frameworks,  including  the  Wildlife  (Protection)  Act,  1972  to  balance conservation of snake species with public safety; and
- (e) the  steps  proposed  to  strengthen  inter-ministerial  coordination  to  reduce  snakebite fatalities while ensuring ecological protection of reptile species?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) & (b) As per the information available with this Ministry, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a communication to all States and Union Territories, advising them to notify snakebite as a notifiable disease under the respective State Public  Health  Acts  and  other  applicable  legislation.  Based  on  the  information received,  eight  States  namely  Karnataka,  Tamil  Nadu,  Meghalaya,  Nagaland, Tripura, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Odisha, have so far declared snakebite cases and deaths as notifiable.

Snakebite related cases and deaths are reported by States and Union Territories under  the  Integrated  Disease  Surveillance  Programme  (IDSP)  through  the Integrated Health Information Portal (IHIP). The details of snakebite related deaths reported across various States and Union Territories during the period 2023-2025 are provided in Annexure-I.

- (c) to (e) The protection and management of wildlife is primarily the responsibility of the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. In accordance with the provisions of  Section  33  of the  Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972,  this Ministry has issued guidelines for management planning of protected areas and other landscape elements.

The  Ministry  has  also  released  species-specific  guidelines  on  21.03.2023  for mitigating human-wildlife conflict, including those involving snakes, adopting a harmonious  coexistence  approach.  Additionally,  guidelines  addressing  crosscutting issues such as engagement with media, occupational health and safety in conflict mitigation, crowd management, and management of health emergencies arising from human-wildlife conflict have been issued.

Further, an advisory on dealing with human-wildlife conflict has been issued by the Ministry on 06.02.2021. The advisory recommends coordinated interdepartmental action, identification of conflict hotspots, adherence to Standard Operating  Procedures, establishment of  rapid response  teams, and formation of State and district level committees to review and expedite the disbursement of exgratia relief.

In line with the global target to halve deaths due to snakebite by 2030, the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE) has been developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in consultation with relevant Ministries and stakeholders.

*****

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5890 due for reply on 30.03.2026 regarding 'Snakebite as Notifiable Disease'

Snakebite cases and deaths (2023-2025) as reported by States and Union Territories (UTs) through the IDSP-IHIP platform

| SN   | States                   |   Snakebite Death (2023-2025) |   Snakebite Death (2023-2025) |   Snakebite Death (2023-2025) |
|------|--------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| SN   | States                   |                          2023 |                          2024 |                          2025 |
| 1    | Andaman& Nicobar Islands |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 2    | Andhra Pradesh           |                             6 |                            41 |                            12 |
| 3    | Arunachal Pradesh        |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 4    | Assam                    |                             4 |                            15 |                            13 |
| 5    | Bihar                    |                            10 |                             3 |                             3 |
| 6    | Chandigarh               |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 7    | Chhattisgarh             |                             2 |                             5 |                             4 |
| 8    | Delhi                    |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 9    | Goa                      |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 10   | Gujarat                  |                             4 |                             4 |                            16 |
| 11   | Haryana                  |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 12   | Himachal Pradesh         |                             0 |                             1 |                             0 |
| 13   | Jammu And Kashmir        |                            13 |                            16 |                             8 |
| 14   | Jharkhand                |                            16 |                            22 |                            27 |
| 15   | Karnataka                |                            19 |                           101 |                           157 |
| 16   | Kerala                   |                             0 |                             1 |                             3 |
| 17   | Ladakh                   |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 18   | Lakshadweep              |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 19   | Madhya Pradesh           |                            12 |                            12 |                            27 |
| 20   | Maharashtra              |                             2 |                             7 |                            25 |
| 21   | Manipur                  |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 22   | Meghalaya                |                             0 |                             1 |                             1 |
| 23   | Mizoram                  |                             0 |                             1 |                             0 |
| 24   | Nagaland                 |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 25   | Odisha                   |                            29 |                            31 |                            24 |
| 26   | Puducherry               |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 27   | Punjab                   |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 28   | Rajasthan                |                             0 |                             2 |                             1 |
| 29   | Sikkim                   |                             1 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 30   | Tamil Nadu               |                            43 |                            25 |                            27 |
| 31   | Telangana                |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 32   | DDNH                     |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 33   | Tripura                  |                             0 |                             0 |                             0 |
| 34   | Uttar Pradesh            |                             1 |                            12 |                            18 |
| 35   | Uttarakhand              |                             0 |                             1 |                             2 |
| 36   | West Bengal              |                            21 |                            69 |                            63 |
|      | Total                    |                           183 |                           370 |                           431 |