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A meeting of the Public Accounts Committee on Monday discussed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
Congress leader KC Venugopal, who chairs the PAC, said members gave many suggestions and raised questions. "We took a very important subject here relating to the CAMPA funds, which is totally deposited out of the public account, which is against the financial rules and guidelines. Members have given many suggestions and raised many questions, we are going to take it up in a bigger way," Venugopal said. The committee was briefed by Audit followed by Oral Evidence of the representatives of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the subject "Deviation from approved accounting procedure (a) CAMPA funds kept outside Public Account" based on sections of C&AG Report No. 31 of 2022. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) has been created under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016. The Act provides for establishment of funds under the Public Accounts of India and Public Accounts of each State for depositing of the compensatory levies received from user agencies towards compensating the loss of forest and ecosystem services in lieu of diversion of forest land for non-forestry purpose as per the provisions of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. These funds are utilized for undertaking Compensatory Afforestation and other related activities as per the provisions of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016 and CAF Rules, 2018. (ANI)
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