The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday decided to approach the central government for approval to kill wild animals that pose a threat to human lives and property.

The Forest and Wildlife Department has been directed to initiate the process of seeking the Centre’s permission to kill wild boars and other wildlife species considered a threat to public safety and livelihoods.

According to a release, the Forest Secretary has been instructed to draft a legislative proposal in consultation with the Law Secretary to facilitate necessary legal provisions in this regard.

Furthermore, the Cabinet sanctioned ₹982.01 crore for executing development initiatives that were suggested by the public during the ‘Nava Kerala Sadas’ sessions held across the state.The Cabinet approved the guidelines framed by the State Planning Board for implementing these projects, incorporating certain amendments.

A committee comprising the Chief Secretary, Secretary of Programme Implementation, Evaluation and Monitoring Document Portal (PIE&MD), and the respective District Collectors has been entrusted with the task of identifying and executing priority projects, according to the official release.

Each Assembly constituency will receive a maximum allocation of ₹7 crore. However, an announcement regarding the fund allocation for Malappuram district will be made at a later stage, as the election code of conduct is currently in effect there.

The decision is part of the state government’s ‘Nava Kerala’ outreach, during which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Cabinet visited all 140 Assembly constituencies and held direct interactions with the public.