CAMPA Bill likely to be taken up in Rajya Sabha today

The Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) Bill, which was expected to be tabled in the Raja Sabha on Monday before the House was adjourned, is likely to be taken up today instead. The Bill, which is likely to unlock over Rs. 40,000 crore, is however expected to receive opposition from the Indian National Congress on the grounds of the law lacking sufficient protection for tribal and

vulnerable communities. Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Sabha MP and former Minister for Environment and Forests, says it is important that the Bill has to be amended to include rules in line with the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

Ramesh had moved an amendment to the Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha in the last session. The amendment required the inclusion of a provision that only such land will be acquired for compensatory afforestation projects on which no forest dweller had staked claims under FRA.

He said that in its current form the Bill can be exploitative.

Ramesh added that the Congress is going to insist on the inclusion of protective rules in the Bill.