A total of 212 daily-wage forest watchers at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve have not received their wages since December last year, with unpaid dues accumulating to approximately Rs 1.2 crore by April 30, according to officials. Records indicate that the reserve had requested Rs 2.2 crore under its 2025-26 annual plan of operation to cover the workers’ yearly wages.
Funds Shortage Leaves Workers Unpaid
The shortage of funds has left the reserve dependent on pending allocations, even as the watchers—who constitute a critical part of the field-level protection network—continued working on a daily-wage basis. Divisional Forest Officer Manish Singh stated that no funds were received from the government last year. “We cleared Rs 68 lakh of pending wages in December through the Tiger Conservation Foundation, but Rs 1.20 crore is still due,” he said.
Wage Revisions Add to Uncertainty
The workers were being paid Rs 9,634 per month, calculated on the basis of 26 days of work. However, the government later revised the minimum wage for semi-skilled workers—the category under which forest watchers fall—to Rs 12,445 per month on March 25, and again to Rs 13,590 per month on April 17. Singh said the reserve is awaiting directions from the state forest administration on implementing the revised wage rates.
Despite the financial crunch, the forest watchers have continued their duties, patrolling the tiger reserve and assisting in anti-poaching efforts. The delay in wages has caused significant hardship for the workers and their families, who rely on these payments for their livelihood. Officials hope that the pending dues will be cleared soon once funds are released by the state government.
