Forest personnel dying in duty to get higher solatium of Rs 50 lakh: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Sep 11: The Karnataka government will hike the solatium from the existing Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, aimed at ensuring stability and social security to the families of forest officials who died in the line of duty, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Sunday.
Speaking after paying respects to the persons who laid down their lives in duty, as part of National Forest Martyrs Day-2022 organised by the Forest Department here, he said the state's forest cover must be increased from the current 21 per cent to 30 per cent.
Pointing out that his predecessor, B S Yediyurappa had hiked the solatium paid to the fallen officials' families from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, Bommai said the incumbent government will further hike it from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
Besides, the government will ensure appointment of the family members to jobs on compassionate grounds and will take care of their welfare with utmost sympathy. "You protect the forest, the government will protect you," he said.
Noting that the government has plans to increase the forest cover from 21 percent to 30 per cent, the Chief Minister pointed out that Karnataka has over four lakh hectares of barren land and afforestation can be done to increase the forest area.
Karnataka was the first state in the country to present the environment budget and Rs 100 crore has been allocated, he said.
This year, an afforestation program will be taken up at a cost of Rs 100 crore. A special plan has been chalked out by the forest department to conserve the ecologically sensitive areas.
The department has taken special interest to protect natural resources and minimise loss to the environment. By implementing the action plan this year, a new model will be prepared and this would help increase the forest cover, he added.
Further, calling on the forest department to strive towards reducing man-animal conflict, Bommai said the elephant menace in the state is very high and the government has provided Rs 100 crore to evolve a new system in protecting people from them.
Due to climate change, rivers are getting flooded, the rainfall pattern has changed resulting in continuous and heavy rains in some places, the Chief Minister said, adding that there is an emergent need to set right the imbalance in nature.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, had declared September 11 as National Forest Martyrs Day in recognition of the valour and sacrifices made by forest personnel to protect our environment.
The date September 11 was chosen due to its historical significance. On this day in 1730, over 360 people of the Bishnoi tribe led by Amrita Devi, objected to the felling of trees and were killed due to their protest to save the trees in Khejarli, Rajasthan on the orders of the king.
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Crocodiles found in MP house during IT searches; reptiles rescued by forest dept
Bhopal, Jan 11: Crocodiles were rescued on Friday from a house in Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh by forest department officials who were tipped off about the presence of the reptiles by Income Tax personnel raiding the place.
Confirming the development, MP Head of Forest Force Aseem Shrivastava told PTI that a case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act in this regard.
The action was taken after forest department personnel were notified about the presence of crocodiles by IT sleuths, he added.
"The health of the crocodiles is being examined. We will intimate the court about them and proceed accordingly," Shrivastava added.
Shrivastava, however, did not say how many crocodiles were rescued or who was the owner of the house.
While a top IT official said searches were carried out at places connected to Rajesh Kesarwani, a bidi manufacturer, building construction contractor and former BJP corporator in Sagar, he refused to speak anything about crocodiles.
Sources put the number of reptiles rescued at four.
