Assam has achieved 93.8% of its compensatory afforestation target under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) between 2019-20 and 2023-24, according to a report by the Supreme Court-mandated Central Empowered Committee.
The state planted 1,149.64 hectares against a target of 1,191.82 hectares during the period.
Nationally, India raised 1,78,261 hectares of compensatory afforestation, meeting 85% of the overall target. However, the report highlighted gaps in fund utilisation and survival monitoring of plantations across states.
Top performers included Gujarat, Chandigarh, Mizoram, and Madhya Pradesh, which fully met their targets. Madhya Pradesh planted 21,746.82 ha against a target of 21,107.68 ha. Karnataka also achieved nearly 100%, planting 2,761.26 ha against 2,775.12 ha.
Arunachal Pradesh (96.6%) and Uttar Pradesh (96.4%) also performed strongly. Meanwhile, Sikkim achieved 92.3%, while Punjab reached 89.9% of its target.
However, several states lagged far behind including Meghalaya achieved only 22.3% (114.56 ha planted), whereas Manipur (37.9%), Kerala (39.7%), West Bengal (39.2%), Tamil Nadu (32.3%), and Andhra Pradesh (40.1%) reported poor coverage.
The report also revealed underutilisation of CAMPA funds. While ₹38,516 crore was approved for states, only 67.5% of it was spent. Utilisation was 100% in Manipur and Andhra Pradesh, 97.8% in Arunachal Pradesh, and 96.6% in Karnataka. In contrast, Delhi used just 26.9%, and Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and J&K were among the weaker performers.
The CEC stressed that delays in annual plan submissions, late fund releases, and lack of dedicated CAMPA offices were key reasons for gaps, along with weak monitoring of plantation survival.
