EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
Highlight the salient features of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund and the issues associated in efficient utilization of the same.
Highlight the salient features of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund and the issues associated in efficient utilization of the same.
- CAMPA Act or Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act is an Indian legislation that seeks to provide an appropriate institutional mechanism, both at the Centre and in each State and Union Territory, to ensure expeditious utilization in efficient and transparent manner of amounts released in lieu of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose which would mitigate impact of diversion of such forest land.
Salient features of CAMPA Act 2016:
- It established National and State Compensatory Afforestation Funds under the public accounts of India and States respectively.
- The funds will receive payments for compensatory afforestation and other project specific payments.
- 10% of the funds will be channeled to the National fund and the remaining 90% will be channeled to the States Funds.
- The funds will be non-lapsable and interest bearing one.
- The fund will be used for compensatory afforestation, catchment area treatment plan and the like.
- The act provides statutory status for two ad-hoc institutions – National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority and State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority.
- The act also seeks to provide for the constitution of a multidisciplinary monitoring group to monitor activities undertaken from these funds.
- The act also provides for annual audit of the accounts by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Issues with CAMPA act:
- It empowers the forest bureaucracy to entrench its control over forests and subvert democratic forest governance established by the FRA Act, 2006 and PESA Act, 1996.
- Underutilization of the funds which hampers its efficiency.
- Diversion of the funds to other purposes in many cases.
- Difficulty in procuring land for compensatory afforestation is the single biggest issue.
- Below par capacity of the forest bureaucracy to efficiently carry out CA.
- Computing the appropriate net present value of the forest land to be diverted for other purposes is a challenge.
- Compensatory afforestation cannot make up for the ecological value lost by cutting the existing forests
Conclusion:
- Efficient utilization of afforestation funds is so vital for creating a New Green India.
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