Bhubaneswar: The Centre has released funds for conservation and management of Chilika lake in Odisha.

The Centre has released the funds under the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-Systems (NPCA).

The Centre had given its sanction in March, 2012 for implementation of Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for conservation of Chilika lake with an expenditure of around Rs 23.50 crore over a period of time. The expenditure would be shared between the Centre and state government at 60: 40 ratio.

The Centre has released first installment of Rs 1.175 crore to Odisha government for implementation of the scheme for the second year. Both the governments are supposed to spend Rs 4.701 crore for implementation of the scheme in the second year.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released the funds after receiving the Utilisation Certificates (UCs), physical progress report and photographs submitted by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), sources said.