Writeup AP 2011-12 - Punjab State Planning Board

New Schemes
FT-22 Purchase of Land for Compensatory Aforestation on account of Nonavailability
of degraded land in the State.
275
Outlay: Rs. 500.00 lac
9.4.36 The main objective of the scheme is to increase the forest cover outside the
forest area in the state. The Government of India has issued guidelines for compensatory
aforestation wherein, rules, procedures, conditions etc. have been framed, which are to be
followed while submission of cases for approval under forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
Though the Government of India’s guidelines provide for undertaking compensatory
aforestation in double degraded forest land in the absence of non-forest land, but the present
situation in the Punjab State is such that all the available government owned forest lands
have either been planted up or have already been earmarked for undertaking aforestation
under Compensatory Aforestation Fund Management Planning Authority (CAMPA) project.
Under these circumstances, exemptions provided to the user agencies concerning nonprovision
of non-forest land for compensatory aforestation under Government of India’s
guidelines cannot be implemented. The only alternative, therefore, left with the State is to
purchase land for compensatory aforestation in order to get the approval in respect of
developmental projects of the State under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 from Government
of India. The land purchase policy for compensatory aforestation has been
evolved.Presently, the cases sent to Government of India for approval under the Forest
(Conservation) Act 1980 an undertaking of the user agency is being taken to the effect that
they will pay for the purchase of equivalent non-forest land at the rate decided by the state
government. The requisite amount for purchase of non-forest land was not being got
deposited from the user agencies in the absence of having such a policy in this regard. The
policy of the state government for purchase of land has been formulated and notified vide
letter dated 12/11/2010.
9.4.37 As per the policy of state government, royalty which was earlier deposited as
revenue in the state consolidated fund will not be affected as first this amount will be shown
as receipts and then as expenditure under plan scheme towards purchase of land under
compensatory aforestation. For this purpose, the amount will be provided by the Punjab
State Forest Development Corporation as advance against Royalty and will be utilized for the
purchase of land in the name of the department for aforestation outside the forest area in the
state for the year 2011-12. An outlay of Rs.500.00 lac is provided for the Annual Plan 2011-
12.