70:30 DMF fund-sharing rule for mining-hit dists

Bhubaneswar: The state government has come out with a 70:30 fund-sharing mechanism to ensure proportionate sharing of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds among the districts that are affected by mining directly and indirectly. In a resolution issued by Planning and Convergence department June 3, government clarified that DMF funds collected from a mine can be utilised only in areas affected by that particular mining operation.

The funds will be distributed between directly and indirectly affected areas on a 70:30 formula, the notification said. As per the guidelines, areas located within a 15-km radius from the boundary of a mine will be considered directly affected, while areas situated between 15km and 25km from the mine boundary will be categorised as indirectly affected. The government has categorically stated that DMF funds cannot be spent beyond a 25-km radius from the mine under any circumstances. The new policy also addresses situations where the impact zone of a mine extends across district boundaries.

In such cases, DMF funds will be shared among the affected districts in proportion to the extent of mining-affected area falling within each district. To facilitate implementation, the Director of Mines and Geology has been tasked with coordinating with the Odisha Space Applications Centre (ORSAC) to obtain geographical data and accurately identify mining-affected areas.