Compliance
Civil

Report No. 21 of 2013 - Compliance Audit on Compensatory Afforestation in India, Union Government, Ministry of Environment and Forests

Date on which Report Tabled:
Fri 06 Sep, 2013
Date of sending the report to Government:
Government Type:
Union
Union Department
Civil
Sector Environment and Sustainable Development

Overview

The Supreme Court of India directed in October 2002 that a 'Compensatory Afforestation Fund' (CAF) shall be created in which all the monies received from the user-agencies towards compensatory afforestation, additional compensatory afforestation, penal compensatory afforestation, net present value of forest land, catchment area treatment plan funds, etc. shall be deposited. CAF was to compensate for the loss of tangible as well as intangible benefits from the forest lands which were diverted for non-forest use. Such funds were to be used for natural assisted regeneration, forest management, protection, infrastructure development, wildlife protection and management, supply of wood and other forest produce saving devices and other allied activities. The Court observed that the fund would not be part of general revenues of the Union, of the States or part of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) notified the Compensatory Afforestation Management Funds Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) in April 2004 for the management of the compensatory afforestation fund.

The Supreme Court of India observed in May 2006, that CAMPA had still not become operational and ordered the constitution of an ad-hoc body (known as 'Ad-hoc CAMPA'), till CAMPA became operational. The Court ordered that all monies recovered on behalf of the CAMPA and lying with the various officials of the State Government were to be transferred to Ad-hoc CAMPA and to get audited all the monies received from the user agencies on behalf of the CAMPA and the income earned thereon by the various State Government officials. The auditor was to be appointed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

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