Congress blocking CAF bill, funds for the poor: Environment Minister

New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave on Monday hit out at the Congress for not allowing the introduction of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) bill in the Rajya Sabha, saying it was blocking funds for scheduled tribes and poor people living in the forests.

"In Rajya Sabha today (Monday), the House did not function due to Andhra Pradesh issue being raised by Congress. While raising the issue of states, the Congress at the same time is blocking funds to the states to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees," Dave said, adding that the CAF bill will pave the way for unlocking total amount of Rs 42,000 crore for all the states.

"By not allowing the introduction of CAF bill, scheduled caste/scheduled tribe and poor people living in remote areas of forest have been deprived of employment and profits from forest.

"While for the last ten years, the Congress could not distribute these funds, today when the government wants to distribute these funds, by placing hurdles, the Congress is blocking the development and progress of states," he added.