The Centre's Rs10,000-crore Green India Programme (GIP) for wildlife protection and afforestation suffered a major setback on Thursday when the Supreme Court (SC) stalled transfer of money raised by states to the national exchequer.

About Rs9,000 crore is lying with the ad hoc compensatory afforestation fund management and planning authority (Campa). A bench headed by chief justice KG Balakrishnan asked states to submit within four weeks site-specific schemes on utilising the money.

GIP involves locating at least one acre of degraded forest or other land for planting trees using money collected by states and union territories (UTs) and deposited with Campa under the ministry of environment and forest.

The Centre wanted to route the fund to GIP.

The court-appointed central empowered committee (CEC) said the ministry of environment and forests was considering transferring to GIP money primarily meant for protection of forests, national parks and sanctuaries.

Campa had collected the non-utilised Rs8,329 crore on account of net present value, compensatory afforestation, etc for conservation, protection and management of forest and wildlife.

"Campa is only the custodian of the fund and it does not have any authority to utilise that amount for any other purpose," CEC said in its report.

Solicitor general GE Vahanvati and lawyer Harris Beeran, who represented the Centre, submitted that so far, 23 states and UTs had sent proposals and Campa was studying them.

Rakesh Bhatnagar/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication