Bhubaneswar: Union coal minister Piyush Goyal Friday said Orissa would get revenue of Rs 70,000 crore from the auction of 12 coal blocks allocated to the state.
Speaking at the Make In Orissa conclave here, Goyal said, “Coal bearing states like Orissa will get maximum benefits from the coal block auction as the Centre has decided to provide the revenue from auction directly to the state.”
State’s mining industry has the potential to provide full employment to its people, he said. “The projects like expansion of Paradip port, Sagaramala and national waterways will help Orissa to export minerals directly to other parts of the world cheaper.”
The Centre would provide all possible support to the state to meet its vision 2036 project. Emphasising on value addition of products produced in Orissa, Gangwar said, “I learnt that alumina produced in Orissa based Central PSU Nalco is exported to other countries because the domestic market does not allow the company to sell it in the country. I hope someone from Orissa procures the alumina and sell it after value addition.”
He urged the people to not only be India’s biggest mineral provider but also be an exporter of finished goods.
Goyal, who is also Union power minister, said every village in Orissa would be electrified by May 2018. “In last two years, of the 3,474 villages in the state, we have electrified 1,811 and the work is in progress in 1,172 villages,” he said.
Emphasising the need to save energy, Goyal said, ‘‘The government has distributed 18 crore LED bulbs in the country, out of which 73,000 bulbs have been distributed in Orissa. If the people adopt the LED bulbs, then the state can save a lot of energy every year,” he added.
He also announced that within the next one and half year all traditional bulbs in the state would be replaced by LED bulbs.
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