Dehradun: Five months after the Pushkar Singh Dhami led BJP government in Uttarakhand covered victims of bee and wasp stings under the amended rules regarding compensation to victims of human-animal conflict, the state Forest Department is bracing to collect data of the victims in this regard, sources said. The Dhami government has also stipulated the compensation amount to be given to the victims of bee and wasp stings.
Compensation to bee and wasp attack victims in Uttarakhand: Bees and wasps were included in the list of wild animals under the revised 'Man-Wildlife Conflict Relief Distribution Fund Rules, 2023 notified by the Pushkar Singh Dhami government in August last year. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Dhami. The revised rules replaced the Man-Wildlife Conflict Relief Distribution Fund Rules, 2012”.
Under the revised rules, the victims of bee and wasp attacks will also be eligible for compensation from the government. So far, the list of wild animals in Uttarakhand included tigers, leopards, snow leopards, elephants, Asiatic black bears, Himalayan brown bears, sloth bears, wild boars, hyenas, crocodiles and alligators.
Forest Deparment kickstarts process to identify victims: Sources said that following the new rules, the Uttarakhand Forest Department will keep an eye on the incidents of bee and wasp attacks by preparing a blueprint in this regard. Besides, special efforts will also be made to reduce bee and wasp attacks. Uttarakhand Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said that many deaths have occurred in the state due to stings of bees and wasps even as several others have also been injured.
“In such a situation, the decision has been taken by the state government keeping in view the practical point of view,” he said. According to official data, six people lost their lives to bee and wasp attacks in 2022. Earlier, a notification issued by the Uttarakhand government on 11 November 2019 declared human-wildlife conflict a state disaster.
In the year 2014, poisonous snakes were also included under the ambit of human-wildlife conflict.
Compensation amount in case of bee and wasp stings: Sources said that under the new rules, in case of minor injury, an amount of Rs 15,000 will be given as compensation. In case of serious injury in human-wildlife conflict, compensation of Rs 1 lakh has been fixed, sources said.
For partial disability, compensation of Rs 100,000 will be given while Rs 3 lakh will be given to the victims suffering full disability. There is a provision of Rs 6 lakh to be given to the next of kin to the people killed in bee and wasp attacks.
