Andhra Pradesh has utilised just over half of the funds allocated under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) over the past three financial years, according to official data.
Between 2022-23 and 2024-25, the state spent ₹358.44 crore out of the approved ₹704.44 crore amounting to 50.9 per cent utilisation of funds meant for forest restoration and conservation.
CAMPA funds are designed to support activities such as compensatory afforestation, natural regeneration of forests, protection of forest areas, restoration of degraded land, and improvement of wildlife habitats.
Year-wise data shows varying levels of utilisation. In 2022-23, the state used ₹82.51 crore out of the approved ₹224.09 crore. Spending improved in 2023-24, with ₹146 crore utilised out of ₹226.75 crore. However, in 2024-25, only ₹129.93 crore has been used so far against an allocation of ₹253.6 crore.
Data shared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change also highlights mixed progress in afforestation targets. In 2022-23, only 708.54 hectares were afforested against a target of 2,276.75 hectares. In 2023-24, the achievement dropped further to 311.12 hectares against a target of 1,827.75 hectares. However, 2024-25 saw a significant improvement, with 1,454.22 hectares covered against a target of 1,466.84 hectares.
Despite lower utilisation and uneven target achievement, the survival rate of plantations has shown steady improvement. It increased from 88 per cent in 2022-23 to 90 per cent in 2023-24, and further to 93 per cent in 2024-25.
Officials said the data was presented in the context of national climate adaptation and forest restoration initiatives, including programmes supported under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change. The fund, launched in 2015, supports states and Union Territories in implementing projects to address climate change impacts, with NABARD serving as the national implementing agency.
Experts note that while improved plantation survival rates are encouraging, the underutilisation of funds and shortfall in earlier afforestation targets indicate the need for better planning and execution to fully achieve conservation goals.