Bhubaneswar: The National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (National CAMPA Authority) has approved more than Rs 2,000 crore for Odisha’s afforestation and forest conservation projects under its Annual Plan of Operations (APO) for the years 2024–25 and 2025–26.
This significant funding allocation was disclosed by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav during a session of the Lok Sabha on Monday.
According to the minister’s written reply to a question by Kandhamal MP Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, Rs 1,112.92 crore has been sanctioned for utilisation under APO 2024–25, while an additional Rs 984.84 crore has been approved for the following year’s plan (APO 2025–26).
These funds are expected to bolster Odisha’s ongoing afforestation efforts and strengthen ecological conservation across the state.
Minister Yadav also highlighted the utilisation of Rs 25.68 crore for afforestation activities in the Kandhamal Parliamentary constituency from January to June 2025. The funds were allocated across multiple forest divisions, including Balliguda (Rs 6 crore), Ghumusur North (Rs 5.59 crore), Boudh (Rs 15.80 crore), Phulbani (Rs 3.76 crore), and Nayagarh (Rs 1.56 crore), totaling Rs 32.71 crore.
Addressing environmental concerns, the minister informed the House that the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) notification around Kotagarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Kandhamal district had lapsed in April 2019 after its draft notification was issued in October 2017. No fresh proposal for the ESZ has been received from the Odisha government since then.
Furthermore, Yadav confirmed that no projects have been implemented under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) to mitigate landslide risks in the Gumadi River catchment area in Kandhamal district, as per information from the state government.
