Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, April 18: The state government has received Rs 274 crore of funds under the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), making it the highest in the entire country.
As per data released by the Union Mines ministry, Orissa tops the list on collection of funds under DMF. The state has collected Rs 274 crore under DMF and Rs 8.2 crore towards National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET), followed by Chhattisgarh, which has collected Rs 251 crore under DMF fund.
Many other mineral bearing states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Telangana are yet to collect any amount under this head, sources said.
According to the guidelines of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, miners who have bagged leases prior to January 12, 2015 would have to fork out 30 per cent of the royalty amount towards DMF contribution. For the mining leases that are granted after January 12 2015, the rate of contribution would be 10 per cent of royalty payable. The funds would be utilized for overall development of mining areas whose ecology has been degraded by rampant mining.
DMF has been constituted in eight mineral bearing states out of 11 as of now. Recently, Union Mines minister has said that DMF would be formed in rest three states soon.
