Odisha to spend Campa fund on tribal villages in mining area

The funds will be spent to carry out host of developmental activities through SPV with major thrust on sectors like education, healthcare and drinking water

The state government has decided to focus on providing basic amenities in tribal villages in mineral bearing areas by arranging money from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (Campa).

A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik decided to spend Campa funds to carry out a host of developmental activities through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with major thrust on the sectors like education, healthcare and drinking water.

It was also decided in the meeting to take up afforestation in an extensive way, so that each forest circles and district would have a mega nursery. So far, about 75 nurseries have been opened up out of the total 282 units proposed in different forest ranges, official sources said. Campa was constituted in 2009 as per the direction of the Supreme Court, which asked all the state governments to carry out developmental activities in the mineral rich areas with funds collected from agencies operating in mining areas. The apex court had directed states to deposit the collected amount with an ad-hoc fund of the central government. The role of Campa is to provide money to mineral bearing states to spend on a host of activities like forest and wildlife conservation and afforestation.

However, the decision of the state government to channelise the funds for providing basic amenities in tribal villages indicates its pre-election strategy to reach out to the people dwelling in these areas. The government also took serious note of fund allocation disproportionate to its contribution to Campa and said, such discrimination is hampering the afforestation and other developmental activities in the state.

"Odisha has been getting the amount which is less than the amount of interest generated from its own deposit in Campa," said forest and environment minister, Bijayshree Routray.