The Tamil Nadu government has approved a raise in the consolidated monthly wages of Anti-Poaching Watchers (APWs) in the forest department.
Effective from January 1, 2025, the new wages will be raised from ₹12,500 to ₹15,625 per month. The decision follows years of requests from APWs, who perform arduous work in remote, often hazardous forest areas.
Notably, as per the G.O. issued on February 3, 2025, the department had initially proposed a wage increase to ₹19,525 per month, based on the State’s revised minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act. However, after review, the government decided to approve a lower amount of ₹15,625. There are 669 APWs working in Tamil Nadu as on date.
When asked about the lower salary, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) Srinivas R. Reddy, stated that the consolidated wages for contract workers like APWs are determined based on figures set by the District Collector, which may vary across districts. As this has not yet been harmonised across the State, the final wage figure was arrived at by taking these variations into account.
Under the Minimum Wages Act, roles like Nursery Mazdoor, Plot Watcher, Fire Patrol Watcher, and Sandalwood Protection Watcher have to be paid ₹311 daily, with a dearness allowance of ₹339.85, bringing the total to ₹650.85 per day or ₹19,525.50 per month. “Forestry is notified as a Schedule in the Minimum Wages Act. Although Anti-Poaching Watcher is not listed under it, the nearest classifications are fire watcher, sandalwood protection watcher, roaming watcher, which should be considered as a benchmark. The government cannot bypass the law,” said an advocate working in labour law.
The G.O. said that initially, APWs focused on preventing poaching, but their roles have since expanded to include a wide range of forest protection tasks, such as preventing grazing, fire control, wildlife rescue, and ecotourism management. Given their broader responsibilities, the term ‘Anti-Poaching Watcher’ is now considered a misnomer. It is proposed to re-designate them as ‘Assistant Protection Workers’ to better reflect their critical, multi-tasking role, the G.O. stated.
Further, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests will submit an annual report regarding the number of APWs transitioned to regular time-scale positions after 10 years of service. The department is also working towards appointing APWs as Forest Watchers, with the aim of filling 669 positions.
Published – February 04, 2025 09:25 pm IST
