Resource detail

The environment ministry has notified draft rules under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016, that lay down how and for what purposes funds collected in lieu of deforestation are used. The fund is embroiled in controversy because of a lack of clarity about use of funds and the procedure for its transfer to states. There are fears of fund misuse for purposes other than ecological conservation. The Supreme Court had directed the Centre to form a Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in 2002, but as a stop-gap measure, an ad hoc CAMPA was constituted by the apex court, which has been disbursing the funds to states since 2009. Till date, over Rs 50,000 crore has been collected as part of the fund but less than Rs 15,000 crore has been disbursed. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act was passed in 2016, creating national and state-level fund. However, a plea filed in the SC has blocked the transfer money from going into the national and state funds till the rules are not framed.