Gujarat Offers Voluntary Relocation Package for Maldhari Families

Gujarat has announced a voluntary relocation scheme for eligible Maldhari pastoral families living inside Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts. The scheme provides ₹15 lakh as a one-time payment per eligible family that chooses to relocate outside the sanctuary. Each relocating family is also eligible for a 100-square-yard residential plot free of cost, located outside the sanctuary and Eco-Sensitive Zone. Livestock-owning families may receive an additional plot of up to 100 square yards for animals, but the market value of that plot will be deducted from the ₹15 lakh assistance.

Barda Wildlife Sanctuary covers 192. 31 sq km and has become important for Asiatic lion conservation. The 2025 Lion Estimation recorded 17 lions in the Barda satellite population, while the wider core Gir and Greater Gir landscape recorded 891 lions. An Asiatic lion had naturally returned to Barda in January 2023 after about 143 years.

The sanctuary management framework includes habitat improvement, water management, grazing regulation, grassland restoration, invasive-species control and prey-base improvement. The livelihood side is equally important because Maldharis depend on livestock, milk production and grazing landscapes. The immediate package value can be measured, but real outcomes require tracking housing security, livestock retention, fodder access, milk income, water, health, education, markets and employment after relocation. Conservation outcomes should track lion occupancy, prey density, grazing pressure and human–wildlife interactions.

The package therefore needs twin monitoring. Conservation agencies can track habitat recovery and lion movement, while social teams must track whether relocated households obtain secure housing, fodder, veterinary services, water, schooling and income continuity. Both outcomes are necessary for a fair conservation-livelihood transition.

Original source references: Indian Express, 2 October 2026; Times of India, 2 October 2026; Gujarat Forest Department.

Rural Development Today | 2 October 2026 | Development Connects | Kallol Saha