Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam Tuesday chaired the 15th meeting of the Steering Committee of the State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
The Steering Committee took note of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Rules, 2018 notified on 10th of August, 2018 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, an official handout said.
After detailed deliberations, the Steering Committee approved an outlay of Rs 62.23 Crore for undertaking conservation & protection works by Forest and Allied Departments and Rs 60.93 Cr by Wild Life Department.
Chief Secretary emphasised on effective utilization of CAMPA funds for compensatory afforestation particularly in degraded forest areas, soil moisture conservation, wildlife management, catchment area treatment and increasing green cover outside forests areas. The Forest Department was asked to examine the desirability of setting up Herbal Park in Srinagar like the Tawi Herbal Eco Park In Jammu.
Chief Secretary also impressed upon the Forest Department to only propose such works /activities under the Annual Plan of Operations (APOs), which are covered under CAMPA guidelines to ensure financial discipline and to make it outcome oriented.
“The focus should be on maintaining the green cover in J&K, making it a nature lovers paradise” he observed.