The proposed amendments arise from Kerala's frustration with the Central government's slow response to the growing crisis of human-animal conflict, especially involving wild boars, which the State has repeatedly sought to have declared as vermin.
- The bill seeks to enable the Chief Wildlife Warden to authorize immediate action, including killing, tranquilizing, capturing, or translocating a wild animal, without unnecessary delay.
- It also seeks to empower the State Government to declare a species listed in Schedule II as ‘vermin’.
- Vermin are wild animals considered harmful to crops, farm animals, or which carry diseases.
- Currently, under the Section 62 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Union Government may declare any wild animal, other than those specified in Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II, to be vermin.
Constitutional Provisions regarding Federal Environmental Governance
- ‘Forests’ and ‘Protection of Wild animal and birds’ have been listed under the List III – Concurrent List under the Schedule VII of the Constitution.
- In pursuance of this, the Parliament has enacted the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Consequent to its Concurrent List status, any state law that is repugnant to the Central Act requires Presidential assent.
