The government of Uttarakhand has declared a huge relief program for individuals who suffer injuries from wild animals. As per the new guideline, the state will cover the medical treatment costs of up to 15 lakh to the victims, which is a huge rise compared to the previous cap of compensation. This policy is set to be made in the official order that will be published soon.
This move is given the increasing cases of human-wildlife conflicts in the state, especially in such districts as Pauri, Chamoli, Dehradun, and Nainital. Examples of wild creatures that enter human settlements to seek refuge because of habitat congestion and urban sprawl include leopards, bears, elephants, and monkeys, which cause injuries and even fatalities.
In earlier days, the maximum amount of compensation to the victim of an attack by wild animals was 15,000-1 lakh, which was very limited to meet the expenditure of serious medical treatment costs. The new provision will allow the injured to receive holistic medical attention without regard to money since the government will provide the money to cover hospitalization, surgeries, and other treatments up to 15 lakh.
The officials have highlighted that this policy is in a larger movement to give social security to communities living on the fringe of forests and to minimize the economic cost on the victims. Besides covering the treatment, the government has also increased ex gratia payouts on the death of people due to the attack of wild animals, which has increased the compensation paid to the families of the victims to ₹10 lakh.
The state government has directed the authorities to make sure that the new scheme is implemented effectively and that the affected individuals are in a position to receive assistance in time. The local officials have been requested to ensure that they keep the rapid response systems in the high-risk areas and to coordinate with the hospitals to enable the injured persons to be treated immediately.
The move has been received well by community leaders and wildlife activists who hailed it as a long-awaited step to conserve endangered species that coexist with forests. A representative of one local NGO said that this is a good move that will save lives and offer financial relief to families.
Experts also emphasize that financial support is important, but prevention mechanisms, including awareness, forest boundary control, and safe animal relocation, should also be in place so as to reduce the human-wildlife conflicts in the long run.
This program by the Uttarakhand government should offer essential assistance to the victims, enhance the trust of the population, and make the state’s human-wildlife conflict management approach stronger. Since the official order is going to be released in the near future, people who live close to forests can expect improved protection and assistance in case of a wild animal encounter.
