Odisha to Receive Over ₹2,000 Crore for Green Initiatives Under National CAMPA

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s efforts toward forest regeneration and ecological sustainability have received a major push, with the Centre approving a massive funding package of over ₹2,000 crore under the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (National CAMPA).

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, in a written response during a Lok Sabha session on Tuesday, confirmed the sanction of ₹1,112.92 crore for the state’s Annual Plan of Operations (APO) for 2024–25, and an additional ₹984.84 crore for 2025–26.

The announcement came in reply to a question raised by Kandhamal MP Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi. The funds are expected to significantly enhance Odisha’s afforestation programmes and conservation efforts across critical forest zones.

From January to June 2025, ₹25.68 crore was spent on afforestation projects specifically in the Kandhamal Parliamentary constituency. This included allocations across five forest divisions — Balliguda (₹6 crore), Ghumusur North (₹5.59 crore), Boudh (₹15.80 crore), Phulbani (₹3.76 crore), and Nayagarh (₹1.56 crore) — with total expenditure in the region amounting to ₹32.71 crore.

Addressing concerns over wildlife protection, the minister revealed that the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) notification for the Kotagarh Wildlife Sanctuary had lapsed in April 2019. Though a draft was initially issued in 2017, no fresh proposal has since been submitted by the Odisha government.

Yadav also stated that no project has yet been initiated under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) to tackle landslide risks in the Gumadi River catchment area of Kandhamal, as per information shared by the state.