Kerala first state to amend central wildlife law: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that Kerala has become the first state to pass a Bill amending the Central Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The Kerala Assembly on Wednesday passed the Bill with the objective of reducing the growing incidence of human-animal conflict in the state.
The CM, in a post on social media platform 'X' on Thursday, said that the passing of the Kerala Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill marks a major step towards addressing rising human-animal conflicts and ensuring justice for forest-edge communities.
"These reforms reaffirm Kerala’s commitment to safeguarding both human life and wildlife, fostering harmony between people and nature," he said in the post.
Kerala has become the first state to pass a Bill amending the Central Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The Kerala Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, along with the Forest Amendment Bill, marks a major step towards addressing rising human-animal conflicts and ensuring justice for…
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) October 9, 2025
The Bill will be sent to the Raj Bhavan, which will refer it to the President as it concerns a Central law, according to official sources.
The Bill was introduced in the Assembly last month.
State Forest Minister A K Saseendran had a day ago informed the Assembly that the government had been compelled to come up with its own amendment to the Central Act, as repeated requests to the Centre for timely changes had met with no success.
He had said that human-animal conflict is an issue directly affecting the lives of one-third of the state's population.
The minister had also said that the main objectives of the amendment bill are to get the authority to declare wildlife as vermin and to ensure freedom for the state government to intervene during necessary situations.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
