The Tamil Nadu government has issued a government order increasing the compensation amount provided for damages caused to farmers and the public by wild animals. Based on the announcement made by the Forest Department Minister in the Legislative Assembly on Sept. 7, these compensation amounts have been increased.
Accordingly, in a Government Order issued by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests: if humans suffer severe injuries or partial disability due to attacks by wild animals, compensation of up to Rs. 5 lakh will be provided. There must be a physical disability of between 20 percent and 60 percent. So far, Rs. 59,100 has been provided for such injuries. Until now, no compensation was provided for minor injuries, but henceforth up to Rs. 20,000 will be given.
If agricultural crops are damaged by wild animals, until now compensation of Rs. 25,000 per acre or the actual damage assessment amount, whichever was lower, was being provided. This has now been increased to Rs. 40,000 per acre. However, based on the extent of the damaged land and the actual damage assessment, only the lesser of these amounts will be provided as compensation.
If coconut trees are damaged, compensation has been fixed according to the age of the tree. Coconut saplings up to one year old will receive Rs. 500, trees aged one to four years will receive Rs. 1,000, and fruit-bearing trees older than four years will receive Rs. 2,000. Earlier, only Rs. 500 was provided per tree. Similarly, each banana plant damaged by wild animals will now receive Rs. 250 as compensation.
Although houses damaged by wild animals are compensated, the compensation amount has been increased. For concrete houses that are completely or severely damaged, the amount provided so far was Rs. 95,100, but now up to Rs. 1.50 lakh will be provided. If the actual damage assessment amount is less than this, that amount will be provided.
So far, fully damaged thatched and mud houses were given Rs. 10,000, and severely damaged houses were given Rs. 5,000. From now on, such houses will be given up to a maximum of Rs. 15,000. The actual damage amount, assessed based on the construction materials of the house, will be determined as the final compensation. For all types of houses, including partially damaged concrete and mud houses, which have so far been given Rs. 5,200, the amount will now be increased to a maximum of Rs. 10,000.
Furthermore, the compensation of Rs. 30,000 that had been provided for milch cattle that die due to wild animals has now been increased to Rs. 40,000.
It is noteworthy that the compensation amount provided in cases of human death or permanent disability resulting from conflicts between humans and wildlife was already increased from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh in 2024.
However, the government order states that this compensation will not apply to those who act in violation of the provisions of forest laws and wildlife protection laws.