Maharashtra government to pay Rs 8 lakh compensation to kin of wild animals attack victims

Maharashtra government has decided to pay Rs 8 lakh as compensation to the kin of those killed by wild animals. According to a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Friday, Rs 1 lakh will be given as immediate compensation while the remaining amount will be kept as fixed deposit in the name of the immediate kin, in a nationalised bank.

Similarly, victims with minor injuries will be given medical treatment free of cost. "The treatment should be at a government hospital or district hospital," the GR said. In case treatment at a private hospital is necessary, the compensation amount will be Rs 15,000 per person, it said.

Wild animals are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The compensation provided to victims of animal attack has been regularly revised but the amount was not adequate and a proposal of hike was pending, the GR said.