Guwahati: Environmental activists and student organizations have criticized Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog for excluding Golaghat district from the Gaja Mitra programme, a key initiative announced in the 2025-26 state budget to mitigate human-elephant conflict.
In her budget speech, Finance Minister Neog announced the Gaja Mitra scheme in the five most human-elephant conflict-prone districts — Goalpara, Udalguri, Nagaon, Baksa, and Sonitpur.
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The scheme entails deploying AI-based camera traps to send real-time alerts on elephant movement and advance paddy procurement in areas where elephants frequently forage.
“Additionally, Gaja Mitra teams would be formed in these regions to support the effort,” she said.
Neog further said the government would take steps to promote commercial production of Napier grass, a fast-growing fodder grown experimentally in Assam as a natural barrier toward reducing elephant crop raids.
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The grass also provided economic opportunity for supporting the production of compressed biogas, she said.
However, activists questioned why Golaghat—one of the worst-hit districts for human-elephant conflict—was left out of the scheme.
Environmental activist Dilip Nath pointed out that between 2009 and 2020, 45 people lost their lives in human-elephant conflicts in Golaghat, while 25 elephants died due to electrocution between 2010 and 2020.
He alleged that Neog had failed to verify ground realities before preparing the budget.
“Perhaps the minister relied only on official records without conducting field inspections,” Nath remarked.
He further said that cultivating Napier grass alone would not solve the problem unless illegal encroachments in reserve forests were addressed.
“Elephants stray into human settlements because their habitats are occupied by encroachers. Without forest restoration, this scheme will fail,” he added.
The Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS) also condemned Neog’s decision, demanding an explanation from her and local MLAs Mrinal Saikia and Biswajit Phukan for not raising the issue in the Assembly.
“Neog must apologize to the people of Morongi, Tengani, and Khumtai for Golaghat’s exclusion from the Gaja Mitra scheme,” SMSS stated.
The programme currently includes Goalpara, Baksa, Udalguri, Sonitpur, and Nagaon districts, but activists insist that Golaghat—one of the worst-affected areas—should have been a priority.