Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has issued clear directives to ensure that compensation assistance for human casualties, livestock losses, and crop damage caused by violent wild animals is provided promptly, in compliance with regulations, and with sensitivity.
He emphasized that residents of forest regions often endure the anguish of losing loved ones due to wildlife attacks. He stressed that in such cases, it is necessary to address the affected families’ suffering swiftly and with a humanitarian approach.
The Chief Minister was addressing a review meeting of the Forest and Climate Change Department on Tuesday at Mahanadi Bhawan, Nava Raipur. He stated that incidents of human-elephant conflict and damage caused by other aggressive wildlife have emerged as a significant challenge in the state’s forested areas.
He said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that victims receive timely and just assistance. The Chief Minister instructed that all related cases must be resolved quickly as per the rules.
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CM Sai highlighted that wild elephants cause extensive damage not only to staple crops like paddy but also to cash crops such as sugarcane, banana, papaya, and jackfruit. This leaves farmers facing both financial hardship and mental distress. During the meeting, the Chief Minister also reviewed the current status of individual forest rights pattas granted in the state.
During the meeting, Forest and Climate Change Minister Kedar Kashyap directed officials to strengthen departmental coordination to ensure that government assistance reaches the affected people on time. A proposal to increase the compensation rates provided for human casualties, permanent disability, livestock loss, house damage, and crop loss was also presented at the meeting.
Discussions were also held on the assistance provided under RBC provisions for crop damage resulting from natural disasters.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) Richa Sharma, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Subodh Kumar Singh, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rahul Bhagat, Agriculture Department Secretary Shahla Nigar, Revenue and Disaster Management Department Secretary Avinash Champawat, Secretary (Planning, Economics, and Statistics) Ankit Anand, Secretary (Forest) Amarnath Prasad, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Sudhir Agrawal, Additional Chief Conservator of Forests Prem Kumar, and other senior officials.
