Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2016-09-13

Increasing the compensation paid for damages to human lives and property caused by wild elephants

- The compensation paid for damages to human lives and property caused by wild elephants has been revised lastly in the year 2004. Accordingly, the total sum of compensation paid annually is around Rs.25million to Rs.35 million. The proposal made by Hon. Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, to provide redress through increasing the existing compensation up to Rs. 200,000/- for a death, Rs. 200,000/- for permanent disability (regardless of the existing age limit), Rs. 75,000/- for injuries, and Rs.100,000/- for house and property damages, caused due to a wild elephant attack, and in order to minimize the delays caused when approving such compensation, to entrust the responsibility of payment of compensation to a Committee headed by the District Secretary and to establish an Appeal Committee headed by the Director General of Wild Life to consider the appeals submitted by the parties dissatisfied with the decisions of the said Committee pertaining to payment of compensation, was approved by the Cabinet.