Understanding the Implementation of the Nagar Van Scheme
The recently unveiled news brings to light a significant development, as the government has declared that it will carry forward the Nagar Van Scheme. This has been announced on the special occasion of World Environment Day, which is celebrated on the 5th of June every year. The theme of this global event for the year 2020 is ‘Celebrating Biodiversity’. It emphasizes an urgent and existential concern. However, India has taken a slightly different route by shifting its focus towards Nagar Van (Urban Forests), along with the official theme. A brochure encompassing the best practices on Urban Forests has also been shared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Perception and Purpose of the Nagar Van Scheme
The Nagar Van Scheme, also referred to as Urban Forests, aims to develop around 200 urban forests across India within the next five years. Maharashtra’s Warje Urban Forest in Pune is projected to be seen as an ideal model for implementing this scheme. A unique feature of this scheme is that it promotes community participation. To make this possible, a strong collaboration between various sectors such as the Forest Department, Municipal bodies, Non-Governmental Organizations, Corporates, and local citizens is necessary.
These urban forests will primarily be developed on existing forest lands within the city or any other vacant land that local urban bodies are willing to offer.
Funding the Nagar Van Scheme
The cost for the execution of the scheme will be covered by the funds from CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016). The CAF Act was instigated to manage the funds collected for compensatory afforestation. Until the introduction of this act, the task of managing these funds was handled by the ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
Compensatory afforestation implies that every time a forest land is used for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency must compensate. The compensation is made by paying for planting forests over an equivalent area of non-forest land. When such land is not available, the area of degraded forest land should be twice as much.
According to the established rules, states would receive 90% of the CAF money while the remaining 10% will be held by the Centre. The source of this information is the Press Information Bureau (PIB). The Nagar Van Scheme serves as a well-planned initiative by the Indian government that fosters the development of urban forests. It’s crucial to maintain the ecological balance in urban spaces and contribute towards a greener and healthier environment.