The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, better known as CAMPA, has over Rs. 11,000 crore, including accrued interest. The money, which had been lying in CAMPA’s bank accounts since 2002, was finally released for partial distribution to states by a Supreme Court ruling 2009, soon after Mr. Ramesh took office.
However, with at least Rs. 2,000 crore already having been distributed, the Minister now wants a review of how the money is being spent by States. “We must re-look first two years of CAMPA,” he said at a brainstorming session on the Green India Mission on Saturday. “Sometime next month, we will review where we are on CAMPA.” The Minister also said the new forestry satellites being prepared by ISRO would help the government to measure the efficacy of afforestation efforts through real-time monitoring, than an expenditure-based monitoring system.