Lok Sabha Question No. 1465 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-09
Subject: Human-Animal Conflict
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Amra Ram, Shri Sunil Bose

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1465

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026

## Human-Animal Conflict

## 1465. SHRI SUNIL BOSE: SHRI AMRA RAM:

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

- (a) the number of people died, injured and the amount of crop damaged due to wildlife and human conflict during the last five years, State/UT and year-wise;
- (b) the amount of compensation paid for the deaths due to wildlife attacks by the Government and whether there is a uniform law being followed across all the State/UT;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to increase the compensation for human loss, loss of crops and domestic animals due to these conflicts;
- (d) if so, the timeline therefor and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) whether the Government has taken any initiative to reduce human-animal conflict across the country and if so, the details thereof including the steps taken for the fencing of wildlife sanctuaries and protected forests in order to check the same?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  As per available information with the Ministry, the details of human deaths due to attack by tigers and elephants during the last five years in various states are given at Annexure- I and Annexure-II.

(b) to (d) The Ministry provides financial assistance to State Governments & Union Territory Administration under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats'  for  the  management  of  wildlife  and  its  habitats  in  the  country.  It  includes compensation for depredation by wild animals including cattle lifting, crop damage, loss of life and property. Further, the Ministry enhanced the amount of ex-gratia relief in case of death or permanent incapacitation due to wild animal attacks in December 2023 from Rs. 5 lakhs to 10 lakhs under these Schemes, subject to availability of funds, and the payment of which is also governed by State specific guidelines/ provisions made in this regard.

The details are given in the table below:

| S. No.   | Nature of damage caused by wild animals   | Amount of ex-gratia relief                                           |
|----------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| i.       | Death or permanent incapacitation         | Rs.10.00 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 in States and UTs.

(e)  The important steps taken by the Government to manage the human-wildlife conflicts include the following:

- i. The Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972  has  been  amended  to  provide  statutory  status  to management  plans  of  the  protected  areas,  mandating  consultations  with  the  concerned Gram Sabha.
- ii. The Section 11 (1) (a) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, empowers the State Chief Wild Life Wardens to grant permits for hunting animals falling in Schedule I of the Act, which become dangerous to human life. Further, the Section 11 (1) (b) of the Act empowers State Chief Wild Life Warden or any authorized officer to grant permits for hunting of wild animals falling under Schedule-II of the Act, if such animals have become dangerous to human life or property.
- iii. A network of protected areas namely, 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.
- iv. An advisory on dealing with human-wildlife conflict has been issued by the Ministry on 6 th  February, 2021. The Ministry has also issued Guidelines to States/UTs on 3 rd  June 2022 to manage Human Wildlife conflict including damage to crops. The advisory recommends coordinated  interdepartmental  action,  identification  of  conflict  hot  spots,  adherence  to Standard Operating Procedures, establishment of rapid response teams, formation of State and District level committees to review the quantum of ex-gratia relief for its expeditious payments etc.
- v. The  Ministry  has  released  species-specific  guidelines  on  21.03.2023  for  mitigation  of Human Wildlife conflicts involving Elephant, Gaur, Leopard, Snake, Crocodile, Rhesus Macaque, Wild Pig,  Bear,  Blue Bull  and  Blackbuck  taking  a  Harmonious  Coexistence Approach for addressing human-wildlife conflicts. The Ministry has also issued guidelines for cross cutting issues such as cooperation with media, occupational health and safety in human-wildlife conflict mitigation, crowd management and addressing health emergencies arising out  of human-wildlife conflict situations.  Moreover, Field Manual for Frontline Staff on Human-Elephant Conflict Management, has also been released by the Ministry. Ministry has also released Guidelines on Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts on Linear Infrastructures on Wildlife.
- vi. The  Ministry  provides  financial  assistance  to  State  Governments  and  Union  Territory Administrations  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  'Development  of  Wildlife Habitats' and 'Project Tiger and Elephant' for management of wildlife and its habitat in the  country.  The  activities  supported  include  procurement  of  early  warning  systems, construction and erection of physical barriers such as barbed wire fence, solar, powered electric fence, bio-fencing, boundary walls etc. to prevent the entry of wild animals into crop fields, compensation for depredation by wild animals including cattle lifting, crop damage, loss of life and property. Rapid Response Teams are also deployed to mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflict.
- vii. Advance technology like radio collaring, digital sensor walls and E- surveillance are also used in human wildlife conflict mitigation.
- viii. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India, in accordance with Section 38O(1)(g) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, have identified 32  major  tiger  corridors  in  the  country.  The  NTCA  Guidelines  (2012)  and  Standard Operating Procedures guide tiger and habitat management. Similarly, the Ministry has also identified 150 elephant corridors in the country in 2023. The Ministry along with the State Governments and UT administrations has initiated the preparation of Regional Action Plan to  address  the  long  term  conservation  and  management  of  elephants  in  the  contiguous landscape.
- ix. The Ministry provides support to State Governments to organize awareness generation, training and capacity building programmes on human-wildlife conflict. The State Forest Departments work with the local people to address the Human Wildlife Conflict issues through periodic awareness campaigns to sensitize, guide and advise the general public on human-animal conflict including dissemination of information through various forms of media. Further, State Forest Departments engage with local communities to monitor the movement of some wildlife species and to caution local people to avoid human-animal conflict, prevent damage or loss of human life, property and wildlife. The Ministry has also taken an initiative for establishment of the Centre of Excellence for the Human - wildlife Conflict management, at Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), WII -South India Centre at Coimbatore.

Annexure-I

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1465 due for reply on 09.02.2026 regarding 'Human-Animal Conflict'

Details of human deaths during last five years due to tiger attacks, year-wise and State-wise

| S. No.   | State          |   2021 |   2022 |   2023 |   2024 |   2025 (as on 30.06.2025) |
|----------|----------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|---------------------------|
| 1        | Assam          |      0 |      0 |      0 |      4 |                         0 |
| 2        | Bihar          |      4 |      9 |      1 |      2 |                         0 |
| 3        | Chhattisgarh   |      0 |      0 |      3 |      0 |                         0 |
| 4        | Karnataka      |      1 |      1 |      8 |      2 |                         0 |
| 5        | Kerala         |      1 |      1 |      1 |      1 |                         0 |
| 6        | Madhya Pradesh |      2 |      3 |     10 |      6 |                         9 |
| 7        | Maharashtra    |     54 |     80 |     37 |     41 |                        27 |
| 8        | Rajasthan      |      1 |      0 |      2 |      1 |                         0 |
| 9        | Tamil Nadu     |      3 |      0 |      1 |      0 |                         0 |
| 10       | Telangana      |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |                         0 |
| 11       | Uttar Pradesh  |     11 |     11 |     25 |     10 |                         2 |
| 12       | Uttarakhand    |      1 |      3 |      0 |      5 |                         2 |
| 13       | West Bengal    |      5 |      1 |      0 |      1 |                         0 |
| Total    | Total          |     83 |    109 |     88 |     74 |                        40 |

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1465 due for reply on 09.02.2026 regarding 'Human-Animal Conflict'

Details of human deaths during last five years due to elephant attacks, year-wise and State-wise

| S. No.   | State             |   2020- 21 |   2021- 22 |   2022- 23 |   2023- 24 |   2024- 25 |
|----------|-------------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |          6 |          4 |          5 |          6 |         11 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |          2 |          2 |          0 |          0 |          1 |
| 3        | Assam             |         91 |         63 |         80 |         74 |        119 |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh      |         42 |         64 |         69 |         51 |         53 |
| 5        | Jharkhand         |         74 |        133 |         96 |         87 |         81 |
| 6        | Karnataka         |         26 |         27 |         29 |         48 |         36 |
| 7        | Kerala            |         20 |         25 |         22 |         23 |         19 |
| 8        | Maharashtra       |          0 |          0 |          2 |          5 |          4 |
| 9        | Meghalaya         |          6 |          3 |          3 |          7 |         12 |
| 10       | Nagaland          |          0 |          0 |          1 |          1 |          0 |
| 11       | Odisha            |         93 |        112 |        148 |        154 |        143 |
| 12       | Tamil Nadu        |         57 |         37 |         43 |         61 |         52 |
| 13       | Tripura           |          1 |          2 |          2 |          1 |          1 |
| 14       | Uttar Pradesh     |          1 |          0 |          4 |          4 |          3 |
| 15       | Uttarakhand       |         13 |         12 |          4 |          8 |         10 |
| 16       | West Bengal       |         47 |         77 |         97 |         99 |         79 |
|          | Total             |        479 |        561 |        605 |        629 |        624 |

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