Orissa to submit Annual Plan for CAMPA soon to MoEF

The Orissa government would soon submit the 'Annual Plan of Operations' to the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) for availing Rs 140 crore under the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

“We will send our Annual Plan for 2010-11 to the MoEF soon in connection with the CAMPA fund”, said state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

B K Patnaik, the state Chief Secretary said, “The 'Annual Plan of Operations' for availing CAMPA fund would be sent soon to the Centre. Compared to other states, the CAMPA fund size in Orissa is higher and so there has been a delay in preparing the Annual Plan.”

The comments of the state Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary have come in response to the letter issued by Jairam Ramesh, the Union minister for environment and forests on Thursday.

Ramesh had pointed out that despite several reminders, the Orissa government had not submitted its 'Annual Plan of Operations' for CAMPA for 2010-11. Consequently, the disbursement of Rs 140 crore to the Orissa government from the CAMPA account has not taken place.

In 2009-10, the MoEF had disbursed Rs 131 crore to the Orissa government under CAMPA, Ramesh claimed in his letter.

The minister further stated that other states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand have already got their CAMPA funds for 2010-11.