Lok Sabha Question No. 2982 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-15
Subject: Elephant Menace
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: KHAN SAUMITRA, LAXMAN GILUWA, RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2982 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2016

## Elephant Menace

## 2982.  SHRI SAUMITRA KHAN:

SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA

SHRI RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY:

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

- (a) whether there are reports of rampaging elephants and other wild animals causing loss of life and damage to property and crops in the country including Jharkhand;
- (b) if so, the details thereof during the last three years and the current year, State-wise;
- (c) the  amount  and  rate  of  compensation  paid  in  this  regard  along  with  the  number  of beneficiaries during the said period, State-wise;
- (d) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  revise  the  rate  of  compensation  being  paid  to victims and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  measures  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  check  the  menace  caused  by  wild animals including elephants in the country?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI   PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a) to (c) Yes sir, reports of damage to properties and crops as well as loss of human lives by elephants and other wild animals are received from various parts of the country, from time to time. The compensation to victims of wildlife depredation in case of loss of crops and properties, is as per official assessment of the damage caused.  An ex-gratia amount of Rs.  two  lakhs  is  paid  by  Central  Government  in  case  of  human  deaths. State-wise details of damage due to elephant depredation and compensation paid to victims during the last three years are given in Annexure I (A), I (B) and I(C) . The data in respect of other wildlife is not maintained in the Ministry
- (d) There  is  no  proposal  at  present  to  revise  the  rate  of  compensation  being  paid  to victims of wildlife depredation.
- (e) Steps undertaken by the Government to check the menace caused by wild animals are given below:
- (i) Financial and technical assistance is provided to State/Union Territory Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of 'Integrated Development  of  Wildlife  Habitat',  'Project  Tiger'  and  'Project  Elephant', augmenting their efforts for management of wildlife and their habitats.
- (ii) Improvement of Protected Areas, Tiger Reserves and Elephant Reserves.
- (iii) Regular and extensive patrolling of forest areas and anti poaching measures by frontline filed staff of the State Forest Departments.
- (iv) Trainings  and  awareness  camps  are  organised  regularly  for  local  people  for conservation of wildlife.
- (v) Local communities are organised into Joint Forest Management Committees/Eco-development  Committees  for  protection  of  wildlife  habitat, including elephant corridors.
- (vi) Habitat improvement and eco-restoration is taken up in critical areas of tiger reserve, elephant reserves and corridors.

*******

## ANNEXURE I (A)

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  2982  RAISED  BY  SHRI  SAUMITRA  KHAN,  SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA AND SHRI RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY REGARDING 'ELEPHANT MENACE' DUE FOR REPLY ON 15.03.2016.

## HUMAN DEATHS CAUSED BY ELEPHANTS

|                   |   2012-13 | 2013-14                  | 2014-15                             |
|-------------------|-----------|--------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh    |         1 | 2                        | 2                                   |
| Arunachal Pradesh |         0 | 7                        | Information not received from state |
| Assam             |        79 | 87                       | 54                                  |
| Chhattisgarh      |        22 | 23                       | 32                                  |
| Jharkhand         |        60 | 56                       | 53                                  |
| Karnataka         |        37 | 33                       | 38                                  |
| Kerala            |        13 | 7                        | 20                                  |
| Maharashtra       |         0 | 0                        | 3                                   |
| Meghalaya         |         1 | 10                       | 3                                   |
| Nagaland          |         0 | 0                        | 1                                   |
| Odisha            |        83 | 67                       | 64                                  |
| Tamil Nadu        |        50 | 52                       | 31                                  |
| Tripura           |         0 | 0                        | 1                                   |
| Uttar Pradesh     |         0 | Information not received | Information not received            |
| Uttarakhand       |         7 | Information not received | Information not received            |
| West Bengal       |        69 | 69                       | 89                                  |
| Total             |       422 | 413                      | 391                                 |

## ANNEXURE I (B)

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  2982  RAISED  BY  SHRI  SAUMITRA  KHAN,  SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA AND SHRI RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY REGARDING 'ELEPHANT MENACE' DUE FOR REPLY ON 15.03.2016.

## Amount of compensation paid for loss of life from 2012-2014

## Rs. in Lakhs

|                   | 2012-13                             | 2013-14                             | 2014-15 upto 31 st March, 2015      |
|-------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh    | 2.50                                | 5.00                                | 11.00                               |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 0                                   | 1.00                                | Information not received from state |
| Assam             | 58.00                               | 77.40                               | Information not received from state |
| Chhattisgarh      | 42.00                               | Information not received from state | Information not received from state |
| Jharkhand         | 91.17                               | 109.28                              | 107.50                              |
| Karnataka         | 185.00                              | 165.00                              | 190.00                              |
| Kerala            | 23.40                               | 6.63                                | 61.00                               |
| Maharashtra       | 0                                   | 0                                   | 15.00                               |
| Meghalaya         | 3.00                                | 4.00                                | 7.00                                |
| Nagaland          | 0                                   | 1.00                                | 2.00                                |
| Orissa            | 147.93                              | 122.4                               | 137.90                              |
| Tamil Nadu        | Information not received from state | Information not received from state | Information not received from state |
| Tripura           | 0                                   | 0                                   | 0                                   |
| Uttar Pradesh     | 0                                   | Information not received from state | Information not received from state |
| Uttarakhand       | 14.00                               | Information not received from state | Information not received from state |
| West Bengal       | 63.30                               | 12.91                               | Information not received            |
| Total             | 630.30                              | 504.62.32                           | 531.40                              |

## ANNEXURE I(B)

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  2982  RAISED  BY  SHRI  SAUMITRA  KHAN,  SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA AND SHRI RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY REGARDING 'ELEPHANT MENACE' DUE FOR REPLY ON 15.03.2016.

## Compensation Paid for Loss Crops/Properties due to Damages Caused by Elephant Depredation during last 3 years

Rs. in Lakhs

|                   | 2012-13                 | 2013-14                             | 2014-15                             |
|-------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh    | 3.70                    | 16.88                               | 52.32                               |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 0                       | 35.26                               | Information not received from state |
| Assam             | 66.87                   | 49.01                               | 1.61                                |
| Chhattisgarh      | 226.72                  | 345.83                              | 269.63                              |
| Jharkhand         | 120.19                  | 275.61                              | 501.57                              |
| Karnataka         | 1308.83                 | 993.81                              | 1239.38                             |
| Kerala            | 308.54                  | 124.82                              | 264.59                              |
| Maharashtra       | 86.83                   | 118.8                               | 123.43                              |
| Meghalaya         | 60.00                   | 71.49                               | 14.95                               |
| Nagaland          | 9.00                    | 5.15                                | 4.60                                |
| Orissa            | 800.52                  | 983.21                              | 979.70                              |
| Tamil Nadu        | 1658 (No. of incidents) | 979 (No. of incidents)              | 2258 (No. of incidents)             |
| Tripura           | 0                       | 0                                   | 0.91                                |
| Uttar Pradesh     | 3.24                    | Information not received from state | Information not received from state |
| Uttarakhand       | 0                       | Information not received from state | Information not received from state |
| West Bengal       | 410.42                  | 9.46                                | Information not received            |
| Total             | 3404.86                 | 3029.33                             | 3452.69                             |