Guwahati, Mar 10 (PTI) The Assam government said on Monday that it would focus on mitigating human-animal conflict through fodder as a natural barrier and using AI-based devices to track animal movement.

It also announced increasing ex gratia for family members of those who lost their lives due to conflict with wildlife and compensation for crop damage.

These were stated by Finance Minister Ajanta Neog while presenting the state’s annual budget for 2025-26 in the assembly.

Announcing the ‘Bon Mitra Abhijan’, Neog said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, has praised Assam’s efforts in mitigating human-animal conflict through Napier grass cultivation.

This fast-growing fodder acts as a natural barrier, reducing elephant crop raids and supporting compressed biogas (CBG) production.

“Notably, a leading industrial house has already expressed interest in helping explore a new economic opportunity for Assam under this. In light of this, our government will take steps to promote commercial production of Napier Grass,” she said in her budget speech.

Neog announced the 'Gaja Mitra' scheme for the five most human-elephant conflict-prone districts, Goalpara, Udalguri, Nagaon, Baksa and Sonitpur.

It will focus on enriching elephant habitats, deploying AI-based camera traps for real-time alerts on elephant movement and advancing paddy procurement in frequent elephant foraging areas, she said.

Additionally, 'Gaja Mitra' teams shall be formed in these regions to further support the effort, the minister added.

Neog also said that many scientifically designed canopy bridges with safety nets to ensure crossings for Hollock Gibbons, Golden Langurs and other primates will be deployed at crossing points over roads and railway tracks, minimising the risk to wildlife.

“We will secure power installations, like open transformers and insulation of all overhead power transmission cables in wildlife movement areas,” she added.

Neog also proposed to increase the ex gratia for loss of human life due to human-wildlife conflict from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, and the crop damage compensation due to wildlife attack from Rs 7,500 per bigha to Rs 8,000 per bigha.

The minister also said that old vehicles used for safari in Kaziranga National Park will be replaced with new one, preferably EVs.

“Detailed guidelines of this bank-assisted financing model will be issued by Tourism Department. I am allocating Rs 20 crore for this initiative,” Neog added. PTI SSG SSG BDC

Human-animal conflict mitigation through fodder barriers and AI tracking to protect communities and crops. The state will mitigate human-animal conflict by promoting Napier grass cultivation as a natural barrier and commercial crop, and by implementing the Gaja Mitra scheme in five high-risk districts to enrich habitats, deploy AI camera traps for real-time alerts, form local response teams, and procure paddy in frequent foraging areas. Additional measures include canopy bridges for primates, insulation of power infrastructure in wildlife corridors, replacement of old safari vehicles with newer EVs under a bank-assisted financing model, and increases to ex gratia and crop-damage compensation.