my uttarakhand news Bureau
Gairsain, 10 Mar: The Uttarakhand government is considering bringing crop damage caused by bears within the ambit of compensation, Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal informed the House on the second day of the ongoing Budget Session of State Assembly today.
Responding to questions raised by members in the House, Uniyal said that the government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has taken several important decisions during the past four years to expand the scope of compensation for losses caused by wildlife. He said that earlier there was no provision for compensation in many cases of damage caused by wild animals, but the government had taken steps to provide relief to affected people.
The minister informed the House that the government has already made provisions for compensation in cases where houses and buildings are damaged by bears. He added that the government is now seriously examining the possibility of extending compensation to farmers whose crops are destroyed by the bears.
Uniyal further stated that the government is closely monitoring the changing behavioural patterns of bears and the increasing incidents of damage caused by them in certain areas. In view of the situation, the government has asked the Wildlife Institute of India to prepare a detailed report on the issue so that appropriate measures can be taken.
The Forest Minister asserted that the government has shown seriousness in providing compensation to people affected by wildlife attacks during the tenure of the present government. He pointed out that one of the major decisions taken during this period was to increase the compensation amount in cases of death caused by wildlife attacks. The compensation amount, which earlier stood at Rs 4 lakhs, has been increased to Rs 6 lakhs in order to provide greater financial support to affected families.
He also informed the House that the government has introduced a provision for compensation in cases where people suffer injuries due to attacks by wasps or honeybees, incidents which were earlier not covered under the compensation framework.
Uniyal said that the government’s efforts to widen the compensation system are continuing and that further decisions would be taken after examining the report to be prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India. He reiterated that the government is seriously considering extending compensation to farmers in cases of crop damage caused by bears so that those affected by wildlife-related losses could receive timely relief.
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