Centre to invest 45 cr for forest projects in NE

Aizawl, May 22 (UNI) The Centre would invest Rs 45 crore for six Forest Development Agency(FDA) proposals for the North Eastern region to cover 3,440 hectares through 106 joint forest management committees.

An amount of Rs 45.08 crore was released to the NE states till February 2006, official sources here today said.

The Union Environment and Forests Ministry had also sanctioned 16 FDA proposals involving a total project cost of Rs 250.71 crore from April 2000 to February 2006 in the region, it said.

The National Afforestation Programme(NAP), being implemented through these two schemes, aims at increasing forest and tree cover.

NAP was focusing on bamboo plantation, medicinal plants, jatropha and rehabilitation of jhumlands (slash/burn cultivation) with 18 jhum projects being sanctioned in the NE states, the sources added.

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