The Kerala government has decided to grant compensation to the kin of those who died on account of attacks by honeybees and wasps in the state. A cabinet meeting in Thiruvananthapuram chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has taken a decision in this connection, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said on Wednesday, October 19.
As per the new decision, the legal heir of those who died after getting stung by bees and wasps would get the same amount of compensation given to the persons who are killed by wild animals, defined under the Rule 2 (A) of the Kerala Rules for Payment of Compensation to the victims of attack by wild animals, 1980, the CMO’s statement said. The amount for this would also be drawn from the head of account for compensation to the victims of wild animal attack, it added.
Mentioning the other decisions made during the meeting, the CMO statement also said that the cabinet has decided to give approval for the drafts of the Kerala Municipality (Amendment) Bill 2022 and Kerala Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
Several deaths had been reported in the southern state in recent years on account of attacks by bees and wasps. One such incident was the death of a rubber tapping labourer, who died after getting stung by honey bees at Medappara in Pathanamthitta district earlier in January this year. The mishap had taken place on the morning of January 28, when Abhilash and four other workers were taking a break to have food while rubber tapping. Abhilash, who was severely stung, could not be saved even though he was taken to the hospital immediately. The workers who accompanied him were also injured in the attack.