Why is it in news?
- The Supreme Court has barred State governments from diverting money from their Compensatory Afforestation and Management Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds
- Fund is meant for environmental protection, rehabilitation of displaced persons due to issues like depletion of forest, mining, etc.
- A Bench of JSC ordered the Punjab government to reimburse ₹1,11,01,420 to its CAMPA funds within a fortnight
- It is made clear that no State government can use the funds for any activity other than afforestation.
Why order is important?
- The apex court’s order came after realising that the Punjab government took ₹11 crore from CAMPA funds and to pay its lawyers and other legal expenses.
- The court discovered the diversion of funds from a document prepared by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Punjab, and placed on record before the Bench.
- The court was hearing a suo motu case titled In Re: National CAMPA Advisory Council.
- This is part of a major effort by the Supreme Court since 1995 to prevent and monitor environmental degradation.
- The idea of having CAMPA funds and authority was introduced by the apex court.
- The periodic orders of the court in this litigation finally led to the birth of The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act of 2016.
- In a March 2018 order, the Supreme Court recorded that the total amount in CAMPA funds is tentatively put in the region of ₹.70,000-75,000 crore approximately and likely to go even higher.
- The apex court had observed that this was a “huge amount” which can be used for the benefit of environmental protection and rehabilitation of persons displaced by environmental causes.
- Availability of these amounts will not only help the States/UTs and local communities to ensure better management of their forest resources.
CAMPA
- CAMPA Act or Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority bill 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.