The Centre will notify a new elephant reserve at Agasthyamalai in Tamil Nadu, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has said. An area of 1,197 sq km will come under the proposed protected area, he added.
Addressing the World Elephant Day celebrations at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady on Friday, Mr. Yadav said the Agasthyamalai elephant reserve will add to the existing 31 such protected areas in the country. Among these, three elephant reserves – Dandeli in Karnataka, Singphan in Nagaland and Lemru in Chhattisgarh – were notified in the last three years. Elephant reserves were currently spread over 76,508 sq m across 14 States in the country.
India, which is home to over 60% of the wild Asian elephant population, has a recorded elephant population of 29,964 (according to the last elephant census of 2017). “We have some of the best laws to protect elephants and their habitats. We have the most amazing people who love and worship elephants,” said Mr. Yadav.
Pointing out that the welfare of the people is at the “heart” of elephant conservation in the country, the Union Minister said human-elephant conflict is on the rise with increasing competition for resources.
“It is unfortunate that on an average 500 people are killed annually by elephants and about 100 elephants are killed in retaliation by people,” he said, adding that human-elephant conflict management is a major focus of the Central government. He also highlighted the hike in ex gratia provided by the Central government to the families of people attacked by elephants from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
Referring to the Wild Life Protection (Amendment) Act passed by the Lok Sabha recently, Mr. Yadav said it contained a provision that would enable the continued use of elephants for religious purposes in accordance with certain guidelines of the Centre and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
ESIC hospital
The Minister, who also holds the Labour and Employment portfolio in the Central Cabinet, announced the decision to establish a 100-bed Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital at Kattappana, Idukki.
Mr. Yadav conferred the Gaj Gaurav award to the Masalar community belonging to Anamalai of Tamil Nadu, and the mahouts of Kerala and Assam. The award has been instituted to recognise the commendable efforts of local communities, frontline staff and mahouts working at the grassroot level to conserve elephants in wild and captivity.
Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Dean Kuriakose, MP, Vazhoor Soman, MLA, Director General of Forests C.P. Goyal, Inspector General of Forests Ramesh Kumar Pandey, Principal Secretary of the State Forest Department Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Head of Forest Force Bennichen Thomas, Chief Wildlife Warden Ganga Singh also participated.
