A forest conservation fund long criticised for sitting idle is getting a sharp push from the top. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chaired a meeting of the Maharashtra Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (Maha CAMPA) Governing Body in Mumbai on Monday, 26 October 2026, issuing a sweeping set of directives to turn dormant funds into on-ground change for communities living inside tiger reserves and protected areas.

What Fadnavis Ordered — And Why It Matters

The centrepiece of the meeting was a clear instruction: use CAMPA funds to complete the relocation and rehabilitation of villages sitting inside tiger reserve cores and other protected areas. This is not a new idea — Maharashtra has been pursuing phased village relocation under the Wildlife Protection Act for years — but Fadnavis framed it as a matter of both conservation and human welfare, arguing that CAMPA resources 'can play a significant role in transforming the lives of people residing in Conservation Reserve areas.' Equally significant is the transparency push. Fadnavis directed departments to revise the existing verification process for CAMPA-funded projects and conduct sample surveys of completed afforestation works — an acknowledgement that past spending has not always translated into verifiable results on the ground.

The National CAMPA Proposal and the 300-Crore Tree Drive

Beyond state-level housekeeping, Fadnavis directed that a formal proposal be sent to the Centre under the National CAMPA Fund for the phased relocation and rehabilitation of villages in Maharashtra's reserved forest areas. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 — itself born from a Supreme Court of India directive in 2009 — created the statutory framework for exactly this kind of inter-governmental funding pipeline. Getting central money unlocked could significantly accelerate a relocation process that has historically moved at a glacial pace. The meeting also tied CAMPA to Maharashtra's ambitious 300-crore tree plantation campaign, directing that large-scale afforestation under the fund focus specifically on bringing non-forest land under forest cover — a strategic choice that avoids displacing existing communities while expanding the state's green footprint.

Institutional Fixes: RBI Account, Contractual Staff, Better Returns

Fadnavis did not stop at policy direction. He instructed the State CAMPA Authority to hire contractual staff to plug manpower gaps and complete the process of opening an account with the Reserve Bank of India for the state's reserve fund. He also called for exploring better investment options to maximise interest earnings on idle CAMPA balances — a financial discipline point that signals intent to run the authority like an accountable institution rather than a passive fund. Minister Ganesh Naik and senior officials were present at the meeting. The two metrics to watch now: whether Maharashtra submits its National CAMPA proposal to Delhi within this fiscal year, and how quickly the 300-crore tree plantation campaign absorbs CAMPA financing for non-forest land. One is a test of political will; the other, a test of administrative muscle.