BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh cabinet has approved Rs 47.11 crore-detailed plan for management of wild elephants and reducing human-elephant conflicts.
The approval came on Tuesday, seven months after the death of 10 wild elephants (nine of them being pregnant) reportedly due to kodo (millet) crop mycotoxin poisoning in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in October 2024 end.
The plan will span four financial years – 2023-24 to 2026-27. Under it, Rs 1.52 crore has already been spent during 2023-24 and 2024-25 on elephant safety and monitoring. As per the cabinet decision, Rs 20 crore has been earmarked for 2025-26 and Rs 25.59 crore for 2026-27.
The comprehensive plan focuses on areas within protected zones where elephants are known to move or reside, as well as regions outside such zones. It includes provisions for the safety and monitoring of wild elephants, habitat management and development.
Control rooms will be set up for elephant monitoring, and various infrastructure will be developed to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. E-eye surveillance systems will be established and operated. Animal rescue and rehabilitation efforts will also be undertaken.
The plan also includes training programmes for local villagers, forest department personnel, and officials from other departments to manage human-elephant conflict in affected areas.
Tackling dropout, staff crunch in Maoist-hit district
Irregular attendance or dropout cases were checked through counselling by village-based Bal-mitras (education workers). The Shiksha Samarthan programme helped fill the gap of teacher shortage with graduate youths roped in as guest teachers.