A devastating toll of 1859 lives has been claimed by snakebites in Odisha over the past two years, as revealed by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari in a recent assembly session.
In the fiscal year 2023-24 alone, 1150 people succumbed to snakebites, with an additional 709 deaths reported in 2024-25. The government has taken measures to provide compensation to the victims’ families, with the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) facilitating these payments. Minister Pujari informed that compensation was granted to the families of 1022 victims in 2023-24, while 22 cases were rejected, and 106 are pending. In 2024-25, 435 families received compensation, 8 cases were rejected, and 266 are pending.
District-specific data highlighted that Balasore recorded the highest number of snakebite deaths (99) in 2023-24, while Cuttack topped the list in 2024-25 with 66 deaths.
To address the severity of the situation, the state government has declared snakebite deaths a State Specific Disaster. Under the SDRF guidelines, the government provides Rs 4 lakh compensation to the next of kin through the Disaster Assistance Payment and Monitoring Systems (DAMPS) portal.
The tragedy underscores the need for enhanced awareness and preventive measures to mitigate the impact of snakebites in the region.
