Bhubaneswar, March 13: As many as 1,859 people have died from snakebites in Odisha over the past two years, informed Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari in the state Assembly today.
In the fiscal year 2023-24, 1,150 snakebite-related deaths were recorded, while 709 deaths occurred in 2024-25, the Minister informed the House in response to a query from BJD's Basta MLA Subasini Jena.
As per government procedures, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department disburses compensation to the families of the deceased from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), following investigations and post-mortem reports.
"Of the 1,150 snakebite deaths in 2023-24, compensation has been provided to the families of 1,022 deceased individuals. Twenty-two cases were rejected after verification, and 106 cases are still pending at various stages," Minister Pujari said.
In the 2024-25 fiscal year, compensation was given to the families of 435 out of 709 snakebite victims. The government has rejected eight cases after investigation, while 266 cases remain pending at the Tahasildar, sub-collector, or collector levels due to missing documents.
The highest number of snakebite deaths in 2023-24 occurred in Balasore district (99), followed by Cuttack (96) and Ganjam (90). However, in 2024-25, Cuttack recorded the highest number of deaths, with 66 snakebite fatalities.
The Odisha government has officially declared snakebite deaths as a State-Specific Disaster. In line with SDRF guidelines, the government provides Rs 4 lakh in compensation to the families of the victims through the Disaster Assistance Payment and Monitoring Systems (DAMPS) portal.
