New Delhi: The Union government, Thursday, released Rs 5933.98 crore CAMPA fund to Odisha to promote afforestation and achieve green objectives of the country.
Odisha Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha received a cheque of Rs 5933.98 crore from Union Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar. Odisha has been allotted the highest amount for the year 2019-20.
The Union Minister also praised the state government for its efforts in conserving forests and increasing forest cover in the state.
After the meeting, the Arukha told the media that he has raised three demands during the meeting. He demanded Rs 592.50 crore for animal rehabilitation, forest protection and plantation during 2019-20. He also demanded Rs 38 crore for the construction of CAMPA capacity building. The minister further urged the Union government to permit utilisation of 2 per cent of CAMPA fund for other administrative works.
Meanwhile, the Centre has released Rs 47,436 crores of CAMPA funds to various states for promoting afforestation. The Union government allocated Rs 5791.70 crore to Chhattisgarh and Rs 5196.69 crore to Madhya Pradesh.
Following the meeting, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the fund being transferred to state government would be in addition to the state budget.
“It is expected that all states will utilise this fund towards forestry activities to achieve the objectives of the Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDCs) of increasing its forest and tree cover, which will create an additional carbon sink equivalent to 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by the year 2030,” said Prakash Javadekar.
According to reports, Odisha has increased its forest cover by 885 square-km during the last two years. The state has utilized Rs 2607 crore of CAMPA fund out of Rs 2644 crore it has received between 2009-10 and 2017-18.