Bihar govt to give Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia in snake bite death

The Bihar government will give Rs 5 lakh as ex-gratia to next of kin of those dying from snake bite if a claim is made as per the rules, Deputy Chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi informed the state Assembly.

Replying to a short notice query by BJP member Sanjay Saravgi during question hour, Modi said there is a provision for giving Rs 5 lakh as ex-gratia in the event of death caused by any "wild life animal" and snake comes under the list notified by the Union government.

"So any death caused by snake bite will make the deceased's family eligible for getting Rs 5 lakh as ex- gratia", he said.

Modi, who also holds Environment, Forest and Climate Change department, said the amount would be made if an application is made in a prescribed format along with the post-mortem report and the FIR.

He said that Disaster Management Department makes payment of Rs 5 lakh in the event of death due to snake bite during floods.

The minister informed the House that no application claiming the ex-gratia on this count has been made to the regional forest office in the past five years.