Context: Union Minister of Tourism, Culture, and DoNER has written to Telangana Chief Minister on the “non-utilization” of Rs 610 crores of the allocated amount from CAMPA funds in the last three years in Telangana.
About CAMPA FUND
- The Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF Act), 2016 and Rules, 2018 provide elaborate guidelines and activities for utilization of CAMPA Fund. The monitoring of CAMPA activities in States/UTs are carried out through Internal and Third Party monitoring and e-Green watch web portal.
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), a National Advisory Council headed by the Union Minister of Environment & Forests for monitoring, technical assistance, and evaluation of compensatory afforestation activities.
- The law establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
- These Funds will receive payments for: (i) compensatory afforestation, (ii) net present value of forest (NPV), and (iii) other project specific payments.
- The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
- The CAMPA funds are utilised for compensating the loss of forest land and ecosystem services by raising of compensatory afforestation, improving quality of forests through assisted natural regeneration, enrichment of biodiversity, improvement of wildlife habitat, control of forest fire, forest protection and soil and water conservation measures.
- CAMPA activities are implemented by engaging local communities in afforestation, nursery raising, soil-water conservation and forest protection activities. The National Authority does not maintain any information related to job creation under various Projects/Schemes funded under National Fund, CAMPA.
- The Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016 provides for audit of the accounts of both National and States/UTs CAMPA Authorities by the Comptroller and Auditor- General of India (C&AG).
