Will ensure CAMPA Funds of Rs. 47,000 crore are utilised efficiently for green India: Javadekar

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New Delhi : Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar chaired an in-depth meeting of State Forests Ministers on effective and efficient utilisation of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds in New Delhi on November 30, 2019, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi; Director General of Forests Siddhanta Das and other senior Forests Officials from various states.

Speaking to mediapersons, the Environment Minister said that the meeting was held to discuss how to implement the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) and utilise its funds more effectively and create more afforestation, green cover along with water augmentation to improve the quality of forests, “We are meeting for the second time in the last 4 months and we will ensure that CAMPA Funds of about Rs 47,000 crore are utilised efficiently for green India,”, stated Javadekar.

The Environment Minister further added that continuous deliberations with all stakeholders will be conducted in future in order to ensure maximum afforestation activities are carried out all over the country.

With the initial experience of the States regarding under-utilisation of the money collected towards compensatory afforestation, the Supreme Court of India ordered for establishment of Compensatory Afforestation Fund and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in 2001. In 2006, separate bank accounts were opened in which the compensatory levies were deposited and adhoc CAMPA was established for the management of Compensatory afforestation fund.

In 2009, the Supreme Court permitted release of Rs 1,000 crore every year to States/UTs for compensatory afforestation and other activities. In 2014, the Supreme Court permitted release of 10% of total deposit of states in the fund from interest accrued on the deposits. This Act has provisioned that CAMPA funds shall be kept in interest bearing non-lapsable Public Account. After detailed deliberations with CAG and Ministry of Finance and deliberations with other stakeholders, the fund flow mechanism could be finalised and the CAF Rules were finally put in place in 2018. After notification of CAF Rules, with approval of the Supreme Court on January 28, 2019, an amount of Rs 54,685 Crore from Ad-hoc CAMPA has been brought under the control of Government of India, according to a PIB release.

The Union Government have transferred CAMPA Funds to the tune of Rs 47,436 crore to 27 States/UTs and the same will be utilised as per the provisions of the CAF Act and CAF Rules, according to a PIB release. It is noteworthy to mention that about Rs 47,436 crore of CAMPA funds were handed over by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to various states on August 29 this year.