Declare foresters dying on field duty as ‘van shahids’

Nagpur: The Maharashtra State Forest Guards and Promoted Foresters Sanghatana has threatened to launch a stir if the demand for ‘van shahids’ status to forest officials and employees who die while attending the call of duty is not met.
Ajay Patil, central president of the sanghatana, in a memorandum to PCCF (HoFF) G Saiprakash, said that there is provision for Rs25 lakh as a fixed deposit to the next of the kin for the police department staff attaining martyrhood while fighting Naxalites. The interest accrued on this deposit is paid to the kin. In case of permanent disability, Rs3 lakh is granted.
A similar proposal has been submitted to the state government by the forest department on September 9, 2020, but it has not been considered yet. Now, Patil has demanded to revise the proposal by increasing the deposit amount from present Rs25 lakh to Rs1 crore, and in case of permanent disability, Rs50 lakh be paid instead of Rs3 lakh.
The sanghatana has threatened to stop work and launch a strike in front of the PCCF office if the demand is not met by the state government. The issue has been specifically raised after woman forest guard Swati Dhumne died in a tiger attack in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) on November 20.
Under the scheme, the amount of fixed deposit cannot be withdrawn till 10 years. On September 18, 2012, state allowed to withdraw the money in exceptional cases.
Patil asked why the scheme is not being implemented for forest personnel. As per the GR issued on September 22, 2008, the Maharashtra government announced its forest policy. One of the clauses (3.3.13) states, “If any forest officer/employee dies or attains disability while attending the call of the duty, such employees and officials will be paid compensation package as per the existing policy in the police department.”
Considering the state forest policy and existing scheme prevailing in the police department, the forest department sent a proposal to the government but it is gathering dust.
Patil said forest field staff move into the forest without any safety measures and are true protectors of the huge environmental assets that fight against climate. The state should immediately approve the proposal.
As per the home ministry GR issued on June 1, 2011, there is a provision that if any officer/employee dies while on duty, the last salary he was drawing should be paid next to his kin till the date the deceased employee was to retire. Besides, the payment of salary should be enhanced as per the time-bound promotions the deceased employee/officer was supposed to get during his service period.
Over the last few years, there is a spurt in attacks on foresters by poachers, encroachers, timber wood smugglers. Besides, foresters are also vulnerable to wild animal attacks during patrolling and extinguishing forest fires.
According to an application filed by Kishor Rithe, member, Nature Conservation Society Amravati (NCSA), in the Supreme Court, from 1987 to 2020, in Maharashtra alone, 656 foresters have been attacked causing the death of 19 of them. The situation in other states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan is even worse.