Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav chaired the 7th meeting of the Governing Body of National CAMPA on Friday, 10 July 2026, at the Central Academy for State Forest Service (CASFOS) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The meeting reviewed new proposals and assessed the progress of compensatory afforestation, forest conservation, and wildlife protection initiatives across the country.

Context

The meeting was convened to examine the status of Net Present Value (NPV) and Compensatory Afforestation (CA) activities carried out by States and Union Territories during 2025-26. The Governing Body also reviewed the flow of CAMPA funds — amounts received, approved, and transferred — during the current financial year. Yadav noted that 'several new proposals and initiatives' aimed at strengthening afforestation and wildlife protection were discussed, though specific proposals remain subject to official disclosure.

Policy Backdrop

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 created the statutory framework for collecting and deploying funds generated whenever forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining, roads, or infrastructure. The legislation followed directions from the Supreme Court of India, which had long flagged the absence of a structured mechanism to ensure afforestation proceeds actually reached the ground. National CAMPA was constituted under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to administer the fund at the national level and review state-level plans annually.

Compensatory afforestation remains the primary legal instrument under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 to offset forest land lost to development. India's National Forest Policy of 1988 set a target of bringing one-third of the country's land area under forest and tree cover, a goal that continues to anchor domestic restoration commitments alongside international pledges.

Stakeholders and Impact

State forest departments are the primary implementing agencies for CAMPA-funded activities; their utilisation of approved funds directly determines whether compensatory plantations are established and maintained. Project developers in sectors such as mining, road construction, and power generation contribute to the CAMPA corpus as a condition for receiving clearances under the Forest Conservation Act. The CASFOS Coimbatore campus, which hosted the meeting, is a premier training institute under the Ministry that builds the capacity of Indian Forest Service and State Forest Service officers — making it a symbolically appropriate venue for a governance review of this nature.

The review of fund transfers and physical progress in 2025-26 is significant for States that have large backlogs of approved but unutilised CAMPA allocations, a recurring concern flagged in parliamentary oversight.

What's Next

State-wise utilisation certificates and physical progress reports for CAMPA activities in 2025-26 are expected to be tabled or examined in subsequent Governing Body meetings or relevant parliamentary committees. The Ministry's decision on new proposals discussed at the 7th meeting will shape afforestation targets and fund disbursements for the remainder of the financial year. With India's forest and tree cover commitments forming a part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, the pace of CAMPA fund utilisation will remain a closely watched indicator of on-ground delivery.