Forest Development Fund

Referenced in the objects and reasons of Amending Acts 24 of 2009 and 41 of 2015 regarding the management of the Forest Development Fund. (1) There shall be constituted for the State of Karnataka a Fund called the Karnataka Forest Development Fund. (2) The following shall form part of the Karnataka Forest Development Fund, namely:— (a) the fee and interest levied and collected under section 98A; (b) the money recovered for raising compensatory plantation in lieu of the forest area made over for non-forestry purposes; (c) sandal surcharges collected for the development of sandalwood resources; (2A) The amounts referred to in sub-section (2) shall first be credited to the Consolidated Fund of the State and under appropriation duly made by law in this behalf, be entered in and transferred to the Karnataka Forest Development Fund. (3) Any amount transferred to the said fund under sub-section (2), shall be charged upon the Consolidated Fund of the State. (4). The amount at credit of the said fund shall be expended only for one or more of the following purposes, namely:- (a) raising of plantations in notified forest areas and such other purposes as are ancillary thereto namely soil and moisture conservation works in notified forest areas; (b) consolidation of the boundaries of notified forest areas; (c) Acquisition of private areas for the consolidation of forests; (d) construction and maintenance of forest housing in rural areas for frontline staff; (e) training, capacity building, research and technology; (f) sustaining Joint Forest Planning and Management activities and the Village Forest Committees/eco development committees; (g) rehabilitation and resettlement of people from interior forest areas; (h) such other activities relating to Forest development or management or wild life protection and management as may be notified by the State Government from time to time