PRICE PAID Forest Department pays record Rs 8.27 crore compensation in ’24-25

 

 

 

In a significant development, the Forest Department has paid the highest compensation in 2024-25 to victims of man-animal conflict in last five years. As per the data provided by the Forest Department, the Nagpur Forest Division paid Rs 8.27 crore for the financial year 2024-25, which is the highest since 2020. The amount, disbursed across 5,935 cases human death, human injury, reflects a worrying rise in human-wildlife conflict in the region.

 

 

 

As per official figures, crop damage remains the most reported issue, with 4,427 farmers receiving a total of Rs 3.37 crore in 2024-25. Cattle deaths resulted in Rs 3.13 crore being paid for 1,445 cases last year, while Rs 1.35 crore was provided to families of six individuals who lost their lives in wildlife-related incidents. An additional Rs 39.38 lakh went towards 50 human injury cases, and Rs 1.41 lakh was given for seven cases of cattle injury in 2024-25. In comparison, the previous four years recorded much lower totals. In 2020-21, Rs 6.33 crore was paid for 8,049 cases. The following year, 2021-22, saw a sharp decline with only Rs 3.5 crore distributed across 4,528 cases.

 

The compensation increased slightly in 2022-23 to Rs 4.59 crore and then, to Rs 5.73 crore in 2023-24. As per the data, Nagpur division witnessed the highest number of human deaths in man-animal conflict in 2024 whereas four human deaths took place in 2023-24 and five in 2022-23. Forest Department attribute this alarming rise to habitat encroachment, fragmented forest corridors, and increased human activity in wildlife zones. “While compensation is a necessary relief, our priority must shift towards preventive action. We are actively working on community awareness, better fencing, and rapid response teams,” said a senior Forest officer. The sharp rise in compensation also indicates greater responsiveness by the department Contd on page 2