Ranchi, Jun 15 (PTI) The Jharkhand government on Monday hiked the ex gratia amount for deaths caused by wild animal attacks from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat Vandana Dadel said the cabinet had approved amendments to the state’s compensation policy for damage caused by wild animals.
Under the revised norms, compensation for grievous injuries caused by wild animal attacks has been increased to Rs 2 lakh from the existing Rs 1.5 lakh.
The amount payable for minor injuries has been enhanced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000, while compensation for permanent disability has been raised to Rs 3.5 lakh from Rs 3.25 lakh.
Dadel said the government has also approved a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure timely disbursal of compensation.
Under the new mechanism, the family of a deceased victim will receive an immediate relief amount of Rs 1 lakh upon certification by the Mukhiya or Manki-Munda. A further Rs 4 lakh will be released after submission of the post-mortem report and death certificate, she said.
Forest department officials will be required to visit the site of the incident within six hours of receiving information, while the entire compensation amount is to be paid within three days, she added..
According to a government report, 474 people have died in elephant attacks in the five years since the 2019-20 fiscal.
A total of 23 proposals were approved at the cabinet meeting, including a decision to empower deputy commissioners to facilitate the free and permanent transfer of government or deemed forest land to the forest department for compensatory afforestation by various state agencies.
The cabinet also approved the grant of mining leases for coal extraction over 2,174 hectares in the Parbatpur coal block and 792.56 acres in the Sitanala coal block, both located in Bokaro district.
In addition, the cabinet cleared proposals related to the widening, strengthening and reconstruction of several roads across the state. PTI SAN SAN SOM
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