Centre sanctions Rs 236 cr to Odisha for forestry

The Centre on Monday sanctioned Rs 236 crore to the Odisha government under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

Union Forest and Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave sanctioned the amount after meeting state Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh in New Delhi on Monday.

The state government had submitted for the Centre's approval a different annual plan of operations (APOs) for 2015-16 with an outlay of Rs 516 crore. The central government approved Rs 236 crore in the first phase, said a statement.

Arukh requested Dave to approve the APOs of the department for 2016-17 at the earliest.

He said the Odisha government and state PSUs should be treated at par with central PSUs in terms of compensatory afforestation.

Arukh said a special dispensation has been allowed for the projects of central government and central government undertakings that allows raising of compensatory afforestation on degraded forest land in twice the extent of forest areas diverted.

The special dispensation given to the central PSU projects should be given to the projects owned by the Odisha government PSUs, he said.

Arukh also called for filling up at the earliest the 47 vacancies in the 141 Indian Forest Service (IFS) posts in Odisha.

--IANS

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