Afforestation wages in cash

THE NEXT time labourers in Chhattisgarh working for projects under the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority, or CAMPA, get paid, their wages will not be deposited in a bank account. They will be paid in cash. This July 26 order of the state forest department violates a Supreme Court order. The court order says all funds under CAMPA should be utilised as per the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) guidelines. Under NREGA, payments can be made only through bank accounts. This is to avoid misuse of funds.