State government has requested the Centre to provide the entire amount of Rs.1200 crore contributed by the State towards Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) and also to support its endeavours for setting up wood-based industries.
Speaking at the conference of State Environment and Forests Ministers held in Delhi on Monday, Minister for Environment and Forests B. Gopalakrishna Reddy said the State’s forest area was 36 lakh hectares, covering 23 per cent of geographic area. There was a need to add another 12 lakh hectares to increase the forest cover to 33 per cent.
He said the State has launched a massive afforestation programme under Neeru-Chettu programme and it was proposed to spend Rs. 2,000 crore over the next five years. He urged the Centre to help the State in a big way to achieve its goals.
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