Elephants: India - Revision history

Jyoti: /* 2019-2024 */

2026-03-30T18:34:01Z

‎2019-2024

Jyoti: /* 2017-2025 */

2025-11-25T16:28:36Z

‎2017-2025

Jyoti: /* 2017: population stable */

2025-11-20T17:36:26Z

‎2017: population stable

Jyoti: /* 2017-2022 */

2025-11-08T06:25:20Z

‎2017-2022

Jyoti: /* 2019-2024 */

2025-10-04T15:52:17Z

‎2019-2024

Jyoti: /* 2018/ DNA profiling of captive elephants */

2025-09-28T10:55:09Z

‎2018/ DNA profiling of captive elephants

Jyoti: /* Status in 2025 */

2025-09-28T10:49:06Z

‎Status in 2025

Jyoti: /* Population, state-wise */

2025-09-28T10:24:47Z

‎Population, state-wise

Jyoti: /* Man-elephant conflict: In individual states */

2025-03-25T21:00:52Z

‎Man-elephant conflict: In individual states

Jyoti: /* 2020-24 */

2025-03-16T19:39:26Z

‎2020-24

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:34, 30 March 2026
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	'' Human deaths in attacks by elephants, state-wise, 2019-2024 ''		'' Human deaths in attacks by elephants, state-wise, 2019-2024 ''
		+
		+	==2019- 2025==
		+	[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=16_02_2026_010_010_cap_TOI Riyan.Ramanath, February 16, 2026: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+
		+	Bhubaneswar : Odisha sees the highest number of human fatalities in elephant attacks in the country, with 17 people killed per 100 elephants, according to data collated by NGO Wildlife Society of Odisha from a Wildlife Institute of India (WII) census last year.
		+
		+	The figure is substantially higher than those of other states like Karnataka and Kerala, which have more elephants and reported one human death per 100 jumbos. The report puts Karnataka and Kerala elephant numbers at 6,013 and 2,785, respectively, compared with Odisha’s 912.
		+
		+	“Assuming the WII DNA-based figure is accurate, Odisha reports a very high rate of human deaths compared to its elephant population. Many believe the WII study invariably shows a lower population trend. But in that case too, Karnataka’s 6,000-plus elephant population and human deaths give a marginal casualty ratio,” Biswajit Mohanty, a wildlife conservationist, said.
		+
		+	According to Mohanty, even if Odisha’s own elephant census figure (2,103) is assumed to be accurate, the number of human deaths per 100 elephants comes to seven — still high compared with other states.
		+	Conservationists say the forest department usually blames open defecation by villagers as the major reason for rising elephant attacks.
		+
		+	People in the know said Odisha govt paid Rs 3.7 crore to a private consultant in 2016 for a wildlife conflict mitigation plan, but nothing had materialised yet. Human fatalities rose sharply, from 119 in 2019-20 to 171 in 2024-25.
		+
		+	“Elephant movement in corridors is severely affected as they have been degraded by quarrying and development work. The forest department didn’t notify 14 identified corridors, though a govt decision was taken in 2012,” Mohanty said.
		+
		+	Prem Kumar Jha, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), said awareness and sensitisation were two important components of tackling human-elephant conflicts. “Even in elephant zones, people are getting in the paths of animals despite knowing about past incidents. We are trying to sensitise people to remain alert,” Jha told TOI .
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	==2022-2024, Human deaths due to elephant attacks==		==2022-2024, Human deaths due to elephant attacks==

@@ Line 279: / Line 279: @@
 ===2017-2025===
-[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=19_10_2025_034_005_cap_TOI  Shivani.Azad, Oct 19, 2035: ''The Times of India'']
+[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=19_10_2025_034_005_cap_TOI  Shivani.Azad, Oct 19, 2025: ''The Times of India'']
-[[File: Elephant population in India, 2017-25.jpg|Elephant population in India, 2017-25 <br/> From: [https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=19_10_2025_034_005_cap_TOI  Shivani.Azad, Oct 19, 2035: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
+[[File: Elephant population in India, 2017-25.jpg|Elephant population in India, 2017-25 <br/> From: [https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=19_10_2025_034_005_cap_TOI  Shivani.Azad, Oct 19, 2025: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
 Electrocution, train collisions, poaching and habitat loss have emerged as leading causes of elephant deaths across India, contributing to a nearly 25% decline in population — from 29,964 to 22,446 — over eight years, according to the country’s first elephant census since 2017. The MoEFCC report reinforced concerns raised by conservationists and scientists on impact of infrastructure and policy-level gaps.
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 Science-based population estimation methods are a welcome change, but it remains to be seen how standards have been set.” Several others questioned the variation in methodologies used across states. WII director G S Bhardwaj said census data should be treated as a new scientific baseline. “Due to methodological differences, it is not comparable with earlier estimates,” he said.
 ===Young male elephants dying more as habitats shrink===

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:36, 20 November 2025
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	“There is no question of a decline,“ said elephant expert and head of Asian Nature Conservation Foundation R Sukumar. Experts termed the “expansion“ trend worrying because it could lead to an increase in human-animal conflicts.		“There is no question of a decline,“ said elephant expert and head of Asian Nature Conservation Foundation R Sukumar. Experts termed the “expansion“ trend worrying because it could lead to an increase in human-animal conflicts.

		+	==2021-25==
		+	[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=15_10_2025_033_002_cap_TOI Shivani.Azad, Oct 15, 2025: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+	Dehradun : India’s first nationwide DNA-based census has found the country’s wild elephant population fell by about 25% in eight years, underscoring growing threats from shrinking forests and rising conflict with humans.
		+
		+	The report, ‘Status of Elephants in India: DNA-based Synchronous All-India Population Estimation of Elephants’ (SAIEE 2021-25), estimated 22,446 elephants across India, down from 29,964 in 2017.
		+
		+	The exercise, led by Wildlife Institute of India, marks a shift from older counting techniques to a more scientifically robust DNA mark-recapture method. Project Elephant, launched in 1992 to protect the animals and their corridors, had earlier gone by visual or dung-based counts.
		+
		+
		+	''' ‘DNA approach allows a far more accurate count’ '''
		+
		+	However, experts have long warned that these older methods lacked rigour in large and fragmented landscapes. The new DNA approach, modelled on the methodology used for tiger estimation, allows a far more accurate count by identifying individuals through their genetic signatures. WII scientist Qamar Qureshi, the report’s lead author, said the study was the world’s first such comprehensive DNA-based enumeration of elephants.
		+
		+	“It is a mammoth scientific exercise, and praiseworthy that our nation took this step so that the future course of conservation can align with science,” he said. But he cautioned that “loss of forests, fragmentation of habitat and loss of corridor connectivity” are accelerating conflict, particularly in central India and Assam. “The silver lining is that poaching has gone down — the real concern is habitat loss.”
		+
		+	WII director GS Bhardwaj said the figures should be treated as a new scientific baseline rather than compared directly with older numbers. “Given the methodological changes, the 2021-25 data are not comparable to past figures and must form the foundation for future monitoring,” he said.
		+
		+	State-wise, Karnataka continues to host the highest number of elephants at 6,013, followed by Assam (4,159), Tamil Nadu (3,136), Kerala (2,785), Uttarakhand (1,792) and Odisha (912). Regionally, the Western Ghats remains the largest elephant stronghold with 11,934 animals — a decline from 14,587 in 2017. The northeastern hills and Brahmaputra floodplains support 6,559 elephants (down from 10,139), while the central Indian highlands and eastern ghats together hold 1,891 (down from 3,128). One WII scientist said the findings should serve as a “wake-up call” for landscape protection in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. “The fragmentation and loss of movement corridors are killing them,” the scientist said.
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	==Assam==		==Assam==

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:25, 8 November 2025
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	Dehradun: The latest elephant population estimation, conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and various state forest departments, shows — quite alarmingly — that India’s elephant population now stands at 15,887, a dip of almost 20% from 19,825 in 2017. This count, excluding pachyderm numbers in India’s northeastern states, was based on DNA analysis and was completed between 2022 and 2023. Experts involved in the exercise attributed the change to the “use of different counting methods”. While in 2017, a block count method — which involved a headcount of elephants — was used, the 2022-23 operation relied on DNA extracted from elephant dung. A “mark-recapture” process was used for analysis, allowing researchers to track elephants based on DNA markers in their feces.  TNN		Dehradun: The latest elephant population estimation, conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and various state forest departments, shows — quite alarmingly — that India’s elephant population now stands at 15,887, a dip of almost 20% from 19,825 in 2017. This count, excluding pachyderm numbers in India’s northeastern states, was based on DNA analysis and was completed between 2022 and 2023. Experts involved in the exercise attributed the change to the “use of different counting methods”. While in 2017, a block count method — which involved a headcount of elephants — was used, the 2022-23 operation relied on DNA extracted from elephant dung. A “mark-recapture” process was used for analysis, allowing researchers to track elephants based on DNA markers in their feces.  TNN
		+
		+	===2017-2025===
		+	[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=19_10_2025_034_005_cap_TOI Shivani.Azad, Oct 19, 2035: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+	[[File: Elephant population in India, 2017-25.jpg\|Elephant population in India, 2017-25 <br/> From: [https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=19_10_2025_034_005_cap_TOI Shivani.Azad, Oct 19, 2035: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
		+
		+	Electrocution, train collisions, poaching and habitat loss have emerged as leading causes of elephant deaths across India, contributing to a nearly 25% decline in population — from 29,964 to 22,446 — over eight years, according to the country’s first elephant census since 2017. The MoEFCC report reinforced concerns raised by conservationists and scientists on impact of infrastructure and policy-level gaps.
		+
		+	Wildlife Institute of India scientist Qamar Qureshi, who led the first DNA-based elephant population study released Oct 14, said, “What’s killing elephants is a combination of habitat loss, electrocution and retaliatory fencing around farms. We don’t have a large landscape plan that integrates biodiversity with developmental activity. Projects are fragmented into components to avoid scrutiny.”
		+
		+	India recognises 150 corridors under Project Elephant, launched in 1992. But a growing number — spread across 15 elephant range states — are now intersected by roads, tracks, power lines, mines and settlements. In Western Ghats, with the largest population of 12,000, fragmentation has increased. In central India, mining leases have eaten into once contiguous forest zones, isolating herds into ecologically degraded pockets that cannot support their needs.
		+	The data, sourced by MoEFCC through RTI requests and parliamentary submissions, showed between 2017 and 2025, at least 500 elephants died from electrocution, 100 were hit by trains, and 50 were poached. Activists said the figures likely underreport the real toll, as several entries were marked ‘data not available’.
		+
		+	A March report titled Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant and Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India flagged 77 stretches across 14 states as high-risk for elephants, based on field surveys spanning 3,452km. The report, prepared by WII in collaboration with MoEFCC, Indian Railways and state forest departments, recommended construction of 705 mitigation structures. WII scientist Bilal Habib, lead author, said the initiative was the first large-scale assessment of wildlife-train conflict involving all stakeholders. “Elephant is a landscape-dependent species. This survey helped identify hotspots and prioritise action zones,” he said.
		+	Asian elephants are known as “engineers of the forest” for their role in shaping ecosystems. Their long-range movements disperse seeds, open forest canopies, and restore soil fertility. When these movement patterns are disrupted, ecological systems begin to collapse.
		+
		+	Despite Project Elephant being in place since 1992, experts said funding and institutional support have remained inconsistent — especially in comparison to Project Tiger. The State of the Asian Elephant (SAIEE) 2025 report warned that with rising human-elephant interface and weakening connectivity, the threats could worsen. “Strengthening corridors and connectivity, restoring habitat, improving protection strategies and mitigation of developmental projects are the need of the hour,” it read.
		+
		+	The latest census recorded the sharpest declines in Kerala (2,921), Assam (1,560), Meghalaya (1,077), Odisha (1,064), and Arunachal Pradesh (997). Some states reported marginal increases, including TN (375), Chhattisgarh (204), West Bengal (188), MP (90), and Maharashtra (57). Kaushik Baruah, member of IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group, said, “During the last estimation exercise in 2024, Assam used the Total Count method, which is best suited for our terrain.
		+
		+	Science-based population estimation methods are a welcome change, but it remains to be seen how standards have been set.” Several others questioned the variation in methodologies used across states. WII director G S Bhardwaj said census data should be treated as a new scientific baseline. “Due to methodological differences, it is not comparable with earlier estimates,” he said.
		+
		+
		+	===Young male elephants dying more as habitats shrink===
		+
		+	A growing number of male elephants in Uttarakhand have died in recent years due to human conflict, habitat loss and high-risk movement, with nearly 60% of recorded deaths (344 of 569) since 2000 involving males, according to forest department data, reports Shivani Azad. Experts said this skew is an expected outcome of elephant social dynamics, where young bulls are pushed out of herds by matriarchs to avoid inbreeding. A scientist from WII said, “Crop fields offer more nutritious food, so bulls are drawn there. At 23–25, they enter musth—a hormonal phase marked by aggressive behaviour—and become hypermobile. Now they walk straight into BHEL township and Haridwar city.” Researcher Mukesh Chand, citing a 15-year study on elephant mortality in TN, said, “The root cause lies outside forests. If we don’t fix that, males will continue to take the brunt.” A forest officer said, “Rapid response teams, boundary walls, and compensation for residents are being provided. However, people chasing elephants for photos is also leading to more conflict.”
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	==Electrocution==		==Electrocution==

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:52, 4 October 2025
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	'' Human deaths in attacks by elephants, state-wise, 2019-2024 ''		'' Human deaths in attacks by elephants, state-wise, 2019-2024 ''
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		+	==2022-2024, Human deaths due to elephant attacks==
		+	[[File: 2022-2024, Human deaths due to elephant attacks.jpg\|2022-2024, Human deaths due to elephant attacks <br/> From: [https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=03_09_2025_009_002_cap_TOI Sep 3, 2025: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
		+
		+	'''See graphic''':
		+
		+	'' 2022-2024, Human deaths due to elephant attacks ''

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← Older revision		Revision as of 10:55, 28 September 2025
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	Unlike the microchip-based ID used so far, DNA fingerprinting provides a unique identity and is more fool-proof, said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Padma Mahanti.		Unlike the microchip-based ID used so far, DNA fingerprinting provides a unique identity and is more fool-proof, said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Padma Mahanti.
		+
		+	===2023-2024: Elephant population, Elephant deaths===
		+	[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=18_09_2025_012_005_cap_TOI TC Sreemol, Sep 18, 2025: ''The Times of India'']
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		+	[[File: 2023-2024- Elephant deaths in Kerala.jpg\|2023-2024- Elephant deaths in Kerala <br/> From: [https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=18_09_2025_012_005_cap_TOI TC Sreemol, Sep 18, 2025: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
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		+	[[File: 2023-2024- Elephant population in Kerala.jpg\| 2023-2024: Elephant population in Kerala <br/> From: [https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=18_09_2025_012_005_cap_TOI TC Sreemol, Sep 18, 2025: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
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		+
		+	Wild elephants are dying like never before in Kerala’s forests.  Of the 827 of these magical giants that perished in the state in the past six-and-a-half years, 84 were victims of human aggression, Kerala govt’s forest department data reveals.
		+
		+	While the majority died of natural causes, many of these gentle, lumbering inhabitants of the jungle fell to the cruelty of human ingenuity. Some walked innocently into electric fencing, while others suffered hideously painful deaths eating fruit like pineapples primed with explosives or pesticide. Others were poisoned, or hunted, for their ivory, and some were hit by cars and trains. Majestic and intelligent — pachyderms mourn deeply and have been known to dig shallow graves and place their dead in them — they are often reviled by local villagers because of the destruction that results when they stumble across human habitation or come in search of food.
		+
		+	In 2019, there were 12 deaths in similar circumstances, but it increased to 18 by 2024. What is concerning is that 17 of the total elephant deaths were categorised as “unnatural”, which the forest department defines as deaths that warrant further investigation.
		+	In Aug this year, the carcasses of nine elephants washed ashore in the Pooyamkutty river in Ernakulam’s Malayattoor forest division. Of the nine, five carcasses were carried to the bank by the river after Aug 12. Forest officials initially claimed a suspected flash flood in the forest might have caused the deaths.
		+
		+	As the body count in the river mounted, the forest department formed an SIT on Sept 1. “The division used to witness around three wild elephant deaths per year due to flash floods.This is the first time that nine deaths were reported in Malayattoor in less than a month,” a forest official said.  On Feb 27 this year, a team of veterinary doctors received a call in the morning from Nilambur forestrange officials in Malappuram asking them to go to the forest boundary in Moothedam panchayat. On arriving in Cholamunda, a small village in the forest buffer zone, doctors found an adult wild tusker, popularly known as “Kaserakomban”, lying motionless in a shallow pit within the village boundary. There was no unusual sign on the body itself. They used an earthmover to carry the carcass into the forest after completing a forensic examination around the pit. Then the team began an autopsy. They first examined the carcass with a metal detector. When it reached the lateral side of the neck, it beeped. “We cut open the portion and found a metal body in an oval shape stuck in the subcutaneous part,” the official said, adding that they were awaiting a ballistics report on the metal object.
		+
		+	Kerala forest department officials admit elephants that venture into the human habitats don’t survive to adulthood. “The highest mortality is reported among juveniles. They come into conflict with humans and don’t survive past their prime age due to retaliatory action by locals, who resort to electrocution and poisoning the jumbos,” said an official.
		+
		+	At Athirapally in the high ranges, a wild elephant with a deep wound on its forehead was spotted in Feb this year. As the condition of the elephant worsened, forest officials tranquillised and shifted the animal to a rehabilitation centre, where it died. No case was registered, and the cause of injury was recorded as infighting.
		+
		+	Anvar Sadath Kainote, an environmental activist in Nilambur, alleges that post-mortem reports are fudged. “Autopsy reports mostly attribute the deaths to the herpes virus, infighting, or falls from the tops of hills. In Karulai range alone, 40 elephants died in less than five years,” Kainote said. Forest officials, however, denied any fudging of autopsy reports.
		+
		+	Elephant experts note that the intelligence wing of the Kerala forest department remains ineffective. “When elephants are killed in the aftermath of man-animal conflicts, no investigation takes place… Everything is left to the veterinary surgeon who conducted the autopsy,” said Dr P S Easa, member, Asian Elephant Specialist Group under the International Union for Conservation of Nature and National Board for Wildlife.
		+
		+	“Autopsies of elephants should be conducted in the presence of an independent elephant expert, as in the case of tigers… We need secret agents like the ones in north Indian states, where forest intelligence wings work in coordination between departments and states to catch poachers,” Dr Easa said.
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	==Odisha==		==Odisha==

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	The steady increase in jumbo numbers comes after a 50% increase registered in tiger sightings in Corbett. Dhananjay Mohan, who headed the exercise, told TOI, “Our effort to improve the habitat conditions in Corbett has paid off. Special efforts were made to remove weeds and lantana, which helped in expanding the feeding ground for elephants.“ Another reason, according to Anil Dutt, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), is that Corbett has the Ramganga river, a perennial source of water, because of which the ranges situated close to it, like Dhikala and Sarpduli accounted for 242 and 193 jumbos respectively .		The steady increase in jumbo numbers comes after a 50% increase registered in tiger sightings in Corbett. Dhananjay Mohan, who headed the exercise, told TOI, “Our effort to improve the habitat conditions in Corbett has paid off. Special efforts were made to remove weeds and lantana, which helped in expanding the feeding ground for elephants.“ Another reason, according to Anil Dutt, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), is that Corbett has the Ramganga river, a perennial source of water, because of which the ranges situated close to it, like Dhikala and Sarpduli accounted for 242 and 193 jumbos respectively .

−	~~=Status in 2025=~~
−	~~[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=18_09_2025_009_002_cap_TOI Swati Shinde Gole, Sandip Dighe, Sarang Dastane & Rahul Gayakwad, TNN, Sep 18, 2025: ''The Times of India'']~~

−	[[File: Maratha architecture, what makes these forts stand out.jpg\|Maratha architecture, what makes these forts stand out <br/> From: [https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=18_09_2025_009_002_cap_TOI Swati Shinde Gole, Sandip Dighe, Sarang Dastane & Rahul Gayakwad, TNN, Sep 18, 2025: ''The Times of India'']\|frame\|500px]]
−
−
−	~~''' Pride & preservation clash as Maratha forts get heritage tag '''~~
−
−	Hewn out of cliffs and escarpments in the Sahyadri ranges, perched on islands, and built atop plateaus, Maharashtra’s forts, with their strong Chhatrapati Shiva ji links, are now a world treasure. In a defining moment for India’s cultural heritage, Unesco placed 12 iconic Maratha forts on the global map in July, inscribing them as Maratha Military Landscapes on its list of World Heritage Sites.
−
−	The Maratha Military Landscapes is a group of 12 forts that were occupied and developed by Maratha rulers between the 17th and 19th centuries: Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohagad, Khanderi, Raigad Fort, Rajgad Fort, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijaydurg Fort and Sindhudurg Fort in Maharashtra, and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
−
−	~~''' Pride, Tinged With Eviction Fears '''~~
−
−	Each fort has its own battle legends, apart from details of governance, innovation, cultural assertion and honour. Rajgad, Shiva ji’s first capital, was chosen for its natural defences and advantage in overlooking the valleys below. Its triplelayered fortifications, water systems and living quarters showcase how geography was turned into strategy. Salher in Nashik, Maharashtra’s northernmost fort in the list, is the highest in the Sahyadris and the site of a legendary battle in 1672, where the Marathas defeated the Mughals in open combat.
−
−	Coastal strongholds such as Sindhudurg and Suvarnadurg were constructed not just to repel European naval powers, but also to establish Maratha naval dominance, a rare feat in Indian military history. Shivneri, the birthplace of Shiva ji, evokes deep emotion, even though its fortification walls are slowly yielding to time and neglect.
−
−	Panhala in Kolhapur, a giant among forts, offers sweeping views and holds within its bastions the tale of Chhatrapati Tarabai’s resistance against the Mughals long after her illustrious father-in-law. It was also where Shiva ji famously escaped Siddi Johar’s siege under the cover of night.
−
−	~~Every year, some 8 lakh to 10 lakh tourists visit Panhala Fort.~~
−
−	The state’s management plan, submitted to Unesco, acknowledges the delicate condition of many forts. Shivneri, for instance, suffers from structural degradation and insufficient sanitation infrastructure; Lohagad and Rajgad lack basic visitor amenities; Suvarnadurg and Sindhudurg battle coastal erosion and salt-laden winds that accelerate decay.

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 The steady increase in jumbo numbers comes after a 50% increase registered in tiger sightings in Corbett. Dhananjay Mohan, who headed the exercise, told TOI, “Our effort to improve the habitat conditions in Corbett has paid off. Special efforts were made to remove weeds and lantana, which helped in expanding the feeding ground for elephants.“ Another reason, according to Anil Dutt, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), is that Corbett has the Ramganga river, a perennial source of water, because of which the ranges situated close to it, like Dhikala and Sarpduli accounted for 242 and 193 jumbos respectively .
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 ==Assam==
 ===2017:  In Assam, 40 jumbos die in 100 days===
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 Experts said that maintaining existing forest reserves and preventing further encroachment into forest territory are the only viable solutions to mitigating conflict.
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+==Kerala==
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+[[File: Man- Elephant conflict in Kerala as in 2025.jpg| Man- Elephant conflict in Kerala as in 2025 <br/> From: [https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=14_02_2025_031_002_cap_TOI  Rajeev KR, February 14, 2025: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
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