Lok Sabha Question No. 371 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-19
Subject: Advisory on Hunting of Animals
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 371 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.07.2016

## Advisory on Hunting of Animals

## 371.     SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA:

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

- (a) whether  the  Union  Government  has  approved  proposals  allowing  hunting  of  animals without any scientific study as required in its own advisory of December, 2014;
- (b)  if so, the details of proposals for hunting approved and the advisory issued by the Union Government on hunting of animals in December, 2014;
- (c)   whether the Government proposes to adopt any fresh approach to enforce Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in letter and spirit across the country; and
- (d)  if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a)and(b) The  Section  62  of  the  Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972,  empowers  the  Central Government  to  issue  notification  declaring  any  wild  animal  other  than  those specified in Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II to be vermin for any specified area and for a specified period by including the species in Schedule V of the Act. Accordingly,  in  response  to  the  request  from  the  State  Governments  to  include problematic wild animals in Schedule V in accordance with section 62 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the Ministry has issued following notifications listing certain species in Schedule V for limited period in specific areas.

| State                    |   Number of districts | Wild animals included in Sch V of W(P) Act, 1972   | Gazette notification           | Period of validity of notification   |
|--------------------------|-----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| Bihar                    |                    31 | Nilgai ( Boselaphus tragocamelus )                 | S.O. 3318(E) dated 01.12.2015  | One year                             |
| Bihar                    |                    10 | Wild pig ( Sus scrofa )                            | S.O. 3318(E) dated 01.12.2015  | One year                             |
| Uttarakhand              |                    13 | Wild pig ( Sus scrofa )                            | S.O. 374(E) dated 03.02.2016   | One year                             |
| Himachal Pradesh- Shimla |                    01 | Rhesus Macaque                                     | S.O. 1140(E) dated 14.03. 2016 | Six months                           |

| Himachal Pradesh   | 10   | ( Macaca mulatta )   | S.O. 1922(E). dated 24.05.2016   | One year   |
|--------------------|------|----------------------|----------------------------------|------------|

The  advisory  dated  24.12.2014  issued  by  Ministry  in  the  context  of  human wildlife conflict to the States highlights the following:

1. Details of Legal provisions available under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to deal with the human-wildlife conflict situations.
2. State  Governments  were  requested  to  give  proposals  seeking  central assistance  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  for  mitigation  and management of human wildlife conflict.
3. States  were    also  advised    to  propose  to  the  Ministry,  after  objective assessment  of  the  situation,  derails  of  areas  in  which  it  was  essential  to issue  the notification under section 62 for specified period.
4. The proposals were advised  to be based on ground level assessment of the gravity of the situation and with adequate details.
5. Further Ministry had also requested for proposal for activities for mitigation and management of human-wildlife conflict outside the protected areas as part of Annual Plan of Operations under the component Protection of Wildlife outside Protected Areas, but as separate component.

(c)and (d) No such fresh proposal is under consideration of the Ministry.

<!-- image -->