The government is considering a proposal to increase the compensation for the next of the kin of the victims of human-wildlife conflicts, Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran has said.
In reply to a starred question in the Assembly, the Minister said the proposal to increase the compensation from ₹10 lakh to ₹15 lakh was under the active consideration of the government. At present, the relatives of the victims were given ₹10 lakh for the deceased and ₹2 lakh for snake bite deaths reported outside the forest.
In reply to another question, he said as many as 7,235 applications for compensation as a result of man-animal conflicts, including crop loss, had been pending with the State government since 2021. Lack of enough funds with the State government and insufficient documents to support the applications submitted by the victims and delay in completing the investigation process delayed the disbursal of compensation to victims, he said.
