The State Government would prepare a long-term action plan for eco development with specific measures for protection and conservation of forests and wildlife including rehabilitation of a large extent of degraded forestland.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has stated this in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi while requesting him to release over Rs3,900 crore pending with the ad hoc CAMPA fund in Union the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).This would bring about the desired pace for conservation and protection of forests and wildlife in the State, said the Chief Minister.As per a Supreme Court’s order on November 29, 2002, a Compensatory Afforestation Fund was to be created with the money received from the user agencies towards compensatory afforestation, additional compensatory afforestation, penal compensatory afforsetation, net present value of forest land and catchment area treatment plan funds.
Accordingly, the adhoc body of a Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) was constituted by the MoEF on April 23, 2004.From 2005-06 onwards, the Odisha Government has been depositing the entire fund realised from the user agencies in the designated account of adhoc CAMPA. The MoEF on July 15, 2009 had advised the State Government to constitute a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (State CAMPA) for proper execution of activities under the CAMPA annual plans of operation.The State Government has deposited with the Adhoc CAMPA Rs4,135.77 crore on March 31, 2014, which has been increased to Rs 4,803.73 crore as on December 31, 2014. The amount does not include the interest accrued, said the Chief Minister in his letter.
By May 31, 2015, the Adhoc CAMPA has released only Rs1,068.15 crore to the State CAMPA for implementing the six annual plans of operation from 2009-10 to 2014-15.Officials say this amount has been released from the interest accrued and a further Rs 869 crore has been released to the newly-formed Odisha Minerals-Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC), a special purpose vehicle for undertaking inclusive growth of minerals-bearing areas.Thus, an amount of Rs 3,934.73 crore is still lying at the credit of the State in the Adhoc CAMPA of the MoEF excluding interest accrued.Making a strong case for the release of the idle fund, the Chief Minister has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister.