Bhubaneswar: The state government Wednesday apprised the Supreme Court (SC) about the utilisation of special purpose vehicle (SPV) funds meant for the welfare of the tribal population of Niyamgiri which were hit by the mining activities in the area.
State chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi Wednesday deposed before the apex court as per the earlier directions to explain the status of uitilisation of the SPV funds. The state government in its response told the court that out of Rs 20 crore earmarked for the funds, Rs 18 crore had been spent on development activities in the area while the same earned Rs 7 crore interest.
The state reportedly also had told the SC that the diverted Rs 2 crore funds could not be used for activities relating to the welfare of the tribal community of the area. Earlier, the Odisha Mining Corporation and Vedanta had joined hands to provide some portion of their profit towards the welfare of the community in the area.
