With the approval of the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) 3982.14 hectares forest land were diverted for non-forest use like raising minerals in Orissa during 2005-06 to 2009-10.
In lieu of the forest land used for mining purpose, afforestations were taken up over 1260.49 hectares during this period, said chief minister Naveen Patnaik. He said, 37.34 percent of the geographical area of the state is covered by forest.
In Keonjhar district, 2544.35 hectares of forest land were diverted for non-forest use with the approval of the Union government.
For creation of forest in the district, Rs 20.87 crore was provided to the district administration under various schemes. While the Central government provided Rs 4.09 crore, the state government paid Rs 7.73 crore. The other organisations contributed Rs 9.05 crore. Out of these funds, Rs 16.43 crore was utilised to create forests over 24,172 hectares of land, he added.
Patnaik said, the government has prepared action plan for protection of forests and afforesation work during 2009-10 with an investment of Rs 238.4 crore.
