Compensation for victims of elephant attacks

A special insurance scheme to pay compensation for victims of the human-elephant conflict and their properties including paddy and crop cultivation will come into effect from January 1, the Agrarian Services and Wildlife Minister S. M. Chandrasena said.He told the Sunday Observer that the Ministry has received Rs. 100 million from the recent budget for conservation of wild elephants and to pay compensation to victims of human-elephant conflict.

“A new fund, Wildlife fund will be formed with Rs. 20 million from the budget allocation and the Rs. 20 million will be pumped annually to this fund to pay compensation to those who lost life, damaged properties and cultivations.

But we have not yet decided on the insurance coverage for each category”, he said.

According to Minister Chandrasena, a committee headed by the Ministry Secretary and Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation has been appointed to categorise the damage and the insurance coverage.