Latest news with #GajaMitra
Time of India
10-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Assam to create jumbo habitats with food stock in 80 hot spots
1 2 Guwahati: Following the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) flagging Assam's human-elephant conflict reaching crisis proportions, the state cabinet on Thursday decided to create elephant habitats with food stock in 80 hot spots under a scheme called 'Gaja Mitra' to eliminate the escalating battle. The Gaja Mitra scheme will be implemented in the eight most human elephant conflict prone districts namely—Goalpara, Udalguri, Nagaon, Baksa, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Jorhat and Biswanath. The cabinet note says that the community-based voluntary monitoring and rapid response team will be set up in the affected villages with each team consisting of eight members from the local community in 80 locations for a period of six months during which the human-elephant conflict is at peak, usually coinciding with the paddy cultivation season. "The Gaja Mitra scheme shall help to establish a proactive, trained, and community-based support system that can complement the efforts of the forest department in mitigating human-elephant conflict by facilitating coexistence, protecting lives and livelihoods, and enabling safe passage for elephants through traditional routes," chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The dedicated elephant habitats will be stocked with food resources such as Napier grasses and bamboo trees. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure your family's future! ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo "We will try to plant lot of bamboo and Napier grass, which actually elephant likes. We have approved this plan with a view to eliminate human elephant conflict in Assam," he said. Assam's human-elephant conflict has reached crisis levels, with over 1,400 human deaths and 1,209 elephant fatalities between 2000 and 2023, as highlighted by the WII report. The main causes include habitat loss, electrocution, retaliatory killings, and fragmentation of elephant corridors, leading to frequent and often deadly encounters between people and elephants.
Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Hospital licence to be suspended if bodies held hostage for unpaid dues: Himanta
GUWAHATI: The Assam cabinet on Thursday approved action against private hospitals including fines and suspension of license in the state if they hold back bodies of deceased patients over non-payment of dues by family members. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (ANI) Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the decision was initiated following complaints that some private hospitals hold the bodies as 'hostage' till family members pay the charges incurred on their treatment. The move will be implemented from August 1. 'Today the Assam cabinet has taken a very important decision. Often we hear complaints that various nursing homes have kept the body of a deceased as mortgage for 3-4 days unless the relatives pay the pending dues. This is against human dignity. You can't hold a body as a hostage,' Sarma said. 'The state cabinet has decided that if any nursing home or hospital does that, their license will be suspended for three to six months and they will be fined ₹5 lakh. In case of repeat offence, their license can be cancelled forever,' he added. The chief minister said if private hospitals hold bodies for over 4 hours for non-payment of dues, relatives of the patient can file complaints with the local police station who will initiate action. Sarma said that the cabinet has also approved a scheme called Gaja Mitra to try to reduce instances of human-elephant conflict in the state. Under the scheme, elephant habitats will be created at 80 hotspots where plants which are fodder for the pachyderms will be planted to ensure that they don't raid paddy fields or enter human habitations in search of food. 'We will also create rapid response teams who will try to divert the routes of elephants that enter villages by using non-lethal means. Plants like bamboo and napier grass, which are important food sources of elephants, will be planted in these areas,' he said, adding that more details of the scheme will be announced later by the forest department.
Hans India
02-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
Assam's 'Gaja Mitra' to help curb human-elephant conflict
Guwahati: In a move to curb the escalating human-elephant conflict in Assam, authorities have launched 'Gaja Mitra', a dedicated initiative aimed at protecting both local communities and the state's majestic elephants. The programme is being rolled out across five of the most affected districts -- Goalpara, Baksa, Udalguri, Sonitpur, and Nagaon -- where frequent elephant incursions have led to crop damage, property loss, and sometimes, tragic human and animal fatalities. The Gaja Mitra initiative takes a multi-pronged approach. One of its core strategies is ecological, focusing on the creation of greener, more hospitable forests to ensure elephants have ample food and migratory corridors within the wild. By restoring natural habitats, officials hope to reduce the need for elephants to venture into human settlements in search of food. Technology, too, plays a key role. AI-powered camera traps have been deployed as silent sentinels throughout the forests, capable of detecting elephant movement and sending real-time alerts to nearby villages. This smart surveillance system aims to provide communities with enough time to prepare, react, or evacuate if necessary, reducing the risk of surprise encounters. To protect livelihoods, Gaja Mitra also emphasises 'Protecting Paddy' by enhancing the procurement of crops in high-risk areas. This ensures that farmers do not bear the financial brunt when elephants forage through their fields. Additionally, trained Gaja Mitra teams -- comprising local volunteers -- will act as community liaisons. These teams will raise awareness, respond to alerts, and serve as vital links between forest departments and villagers, embodying the spirit of Jan Bhagidari, or people's participation. With a blend of ecology, technology, and community engagement, Gaja Mitra signals a compassionate shift in conservation, where coexistence, not conflict, takes centre stage. Assam Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary recently said that more than 70 people and 80 jumbos on average die every year in human-elephant conflict in the state. According to an official, when more people occupy the elephants' natural habitats, the animals are forced to leave their homes in search of food, which results in confrontation with people. He said there are currently more than 5,700 elephants living in the state.
