Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa’s proposed spending on forests, wildlife and related conservation activities has been scaled down by the National CAMPA authority, which has approved ₹37.19 crore against the State’s ₹43.77-crore Annual Plan of Operation for 2026-27.
The decision was taken at the 40th meeting of the National CAMPA Executive Committee held on August 11. Despite the reduction from Goa’s original proposal, the approved allocation marks a substantial increase over the ₹14.96 crore sanctioned in 2025-26 and ₹13.74 crore in 2024-25.
Goa secured full approval for its ₹11.84-crore proposal for compensatory afforestation covering 80 hectares.
However, several other components of the State’s plan were reduced, particularly those involving forest infrastructure, biodiversity, technology, fire management and wildlife habitat improvement.
One of the largest reductions was under Rule 5(3) of the CAF Rules, 2018. Goa had sought ₹4.86 crore under this head, but the National CAMPA cleared ₹2.44 crore.
The funds under this category cover a range of support activities, including modern nurseries, biodiversity-related work, information technology and communication equipment, forest roads and inspection paths, fire lines, watchtowers, check posts, monitoring and awareness programmes.
Goa’s ₹33.60-lakh proposal for modern nurseries was reduced to ₹15.66 lakh. A separate ₹50-lakh proposal for conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity did not receive approval.
The biggest reduction within this component was seen in communication and information technology equipment. Against Goa’s demand of ₹1.86 crore, only ₹38.60 lakh was sanctioned.
Funding for inspection paths, forest roads, fire lines, watchtowers and check posts was also brought down from the proposed ₹41.25 lakh to ₹14.50 lakh.
Under Rule 5(2), Goa had proposed ₹19.64 crore for a broader range of forest and wildlife interventions. The approved amount stood at ₹15.47 crore.
This head covers activities such as natural and artificial regeneration, protection of forests and plantations, prevention and control of forest fires, soil and moisture conservation, wildlife habitat improvement, animal rescue infrastructure and biodiversity management.
The allocation for protecting plantations and forests was reduced from ₹4.67 crore to ₹3.90 crore. Forest-fire prevention and control received ₹2.11 crore against the State’s proposal of ₹2.85 crore.
Similarly, the allocation for soil and moisture conservation was reduced from ₹2.16 crore to ₹1.75 crore, while wildlife habitat improvement was brought down from ₹3.54 crore to ₹2.13 crore.
The management of biological diversity and biological resources also saw a significant reduction, with the approved amount standing at ₹44.81 lakh against Goa’s proposed ₹1.29 crore.
While the 2026-27 approval represents a significant increase in Goa’s overall CAMPA funding compared with the previous two years, the final allocation indicates tighter scrutiny of several proposed conservation and forest-management activities.
