Relief provided to family of deceased Forest Department staff

Kaziranga, Assam, August 4, 2010: A relief of one lakh rupees was provided to the family of a deceased frontline staff, late Dilip Bora, by Assam Forest Department authorities and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), last week.

“We thank WTI for this financial support provided to Bora’s family. It is a morale booster to get such a help when they need it the most,” said Kaziranga National Park Field Director - Surajit Dutta, who along with DD Gogoi, DFO Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, and Dr Phulmoni Gogoi, IFAW-WTI veterinarian, handed over the cheque to Dipti Bora, wife of the deceased.

Bora, who worked as a peon at the Kohora Range Office, died in a road accident in October, 2009. He is survived by his wife and his two sons, one of whom runs a small makeshift shop of handloom and handicrafts during tourist season in the park.

“A humble and soft-spoken man, and always ready to help, Bora was very well-liked by his colleagues. He was also known for his selfless nature. We hope this little contribution helps Mrs Bora and her family,” said Dr Phulmoni Gogoi.

The amount was released under WTI’s group accident insurance scheme that provides insurance cover for frontline Forest Department staff across the country, run by its Van Rakshak Project (VRP). Till date, a total of 55 families of frontline staff in 15 Indian states including Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have availed of the insurance. Addtionally, WTI has provided ex-gratia relief to 16 frontline staff who were not registered in the insurance scheme database.