VISAKHAPATNAM: Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan on Thursday said true development will find reflection in conditions where humans and wildlife coexist without conflict.
Addressing a national-level conference in Visakhapatnam on the occasion of World Elephant Day, he underlined that reducing human-elephant conflict has been his priority ever since he assumed charge of the Forest and Environment department.
The Deputy CM recalled the difficulties faced by people in agency areas of Chittoor and Manyam districts due to elephant movement. He said four specially trained Kumki elephants have been brought from Karnataka to help tackle the problem. These elephants have participated in 15 key operations, resulting in a 70 per cent reduction in human deaths in forest border areas and a significant decline in crop losses, he underlined.
Pawan Kalyan thanked former Karnataka chief minister Siddharamaiah, current Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and former Forest minister Eshwar Khandre for their support in establishing Kumki elephant centres in Andhra Pradesh.
The state has also launched a programme to train Kumki elephants, with one elephant named Jayanth already getting trained as a Kumki in Parvathipuram Manyam district. Their plan is to train two elephants into becoming Kumkis every year.
Highlighting the central government’s initiatives, the Deputy Chief Minister said the number of elephant conservation centres in the country have increased from 26 to 33 since 2014. He said programmes such as Project Elephant, protecting their corridors, and technology-based monitoring have strengthened conservation efforts. He pointed out that country-wide there are 150 corridors where measures have been taken for elephants to pass into their natural habitats.
Pawan Kalyan pointed out that the HANUMAN project had been launched in March 2026 to address human-wildlife conflicts through rapid response and preventive measures using technology. Under the initiative, 93 response vehicles and seven wildlife ambulances have been deployed, rescuing more than 200 wild animals, which have been relocated to 30 safe areas.
The Deputy CM said wildlife conservation is a shared responsibility. Their goal is to enable farmers in border areas of forest to cultivate without fear and create conditions for people and wildlife to coexist safely.
As part of the World Elephant Day celebrations, Pawan Kalyan and union minister of state for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh released a book “Project Elephant – 30 Giant Steps,” with an action plan for elephant conservation in South India.
On the occasion, prizes have been awarded to winners of drawing competitions held at 21,450 schools nationwide, with about 20 lakh students participating in the contest.
The “Gaja Gaurav” award has been conferred posthumously on Odisha forest officer Jugal Nayak for sacrificing his life in elephant protection. Other staff members have also been honoured for their contributions to wildlife conservation.
Those who participated in the programme included Environment ministry secretary Tanmay Kumar, Forests director general Sushil Kumar Awasthi, AP principal secretary Kantilal Dande, PCCF Dr. P.V. Chalapathi Rao, Project Elephant steering committee members, senior officials, scientists, and environmentalists.
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