Category: DMF-News

DMFs are statutory authorities that a State Government sets up in districts affected by mining. These bodies get their legality from Section 9B under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and its amendment in 2015. In fact, DMFs were instituted on 16th September, 2015.

The State Government can establish a DMF as a trust or non-profit body, and contributions from miners fund a DMF.

Mineral fund “fails to benefit” people living in deep poverty in India’s mining districts

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal and Steel in its Forty-Seventh Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) on “Implementation of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) and Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)”, relating to the Ministry of Mines, has regretted that out of of 81,624 projects sanctioned under the DMF, only 22,026 projects worth Rs 4,888 crore have been completed since 2015.
Set up in 2015, DMF is meant to benefit millions of mining affected people living below poverty line, the Committee, Submitted in Parliament on December 27, 2018, notes in its report, but regrets, “Even after a lapse of more than three and a half year of its implementation, there has been a lack of transparency and public accountability in implementation of various schemes under PMKKKY financed by DMF budgets.”  Read more

Need a monitoring mechanism to ensure prompt use of funds under DMF: Parliamentary panel to Mines Ministry

NEW DELHI: Lashing out at the Centre for lack of transparency and accountability in projects under the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), a parliamentary panel has asked it to develop a monitoring mechanism saying only projects worth Rs 4,888 crore could be completed as against a total collection of Rs 21,235 crore until August 2018.

It has also observed that instead of tapping DMF as a tool to alleviate poverty of millions of mining impacted people, the progress was tardy to the extent that out of a total collection of Rs 21,235 crore, projects worth only Rs 15,548 could be sanctioned.

“As against a total collection of Rs 21,235 crore as on August 2018 under the DMF, projects worth Rs 15,548 crore only have been sanctioned so far…out of a total 81,624 projects sanctioned, only 22,026 projects worth Rs 4,888 crore have been completed so far, reflecting non-initiation of schemes under DMF,” the panel headed by Chintamani Malviya said in its recent report tabled in Parliament. Read more

Centre asks states to complete audit of DMF by this fiscal

The Centre has advised the states to complete the audit of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) up to FY2018 by the end of current financial year.

“Most of states have carried out or are in the process of carrying out the audit of DMF,” Minister of State for Mines Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

All states, he said, have been advised to complete the audit up to the year 2017-18 by end of current financial year.

“Ministry of Mines vide letter dated October 4, 2018 has requested the state governments to audit the funds of DMF utilised under PMKKKY (Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana),” he said.

The minister said, as per the guidelines of September 16, 2018, the accounts of DMF will be audited every year by the Chartered Accountant appointed by the DMF, or in such other manner as the government may specify.

“Section 9B of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 provides for establishment of ….DMF in each district affected by mining related operations,” the minister said.

The government had earlier said that at least 60 per cent funds of the DMF, which are being spent for benefit of people affected by mining-related operations, will be utilised in high priority areas like drinking water and pollution control.

It had said that to facilitate synergy in implementation of DMF across states, the centre has launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana with the objective of welfare of areas and people affected by mining-related operations.

Courtesy: Business Standard

DMF related more link:

SC-appointed retired judge reviews DMF fund utilisation

Keonjhar: Retired justice AK Patnaik, nominated by the Supreme Court, arrived at Keonjhar Wednesday and started reviewing how District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds were utilised for various projects in the district.

Patnaik was accompanied by the commissioner of the health department, the director of OPEPA and the special secretary of the SC/ST development department.

In the evening, they held a review meeting on utilisation of the DMF funds at Durbar Hall. Patnaik also took stock of healthcare facilities, help desk, CT scan, dialysis and other amenities being provided to patients at the district headquarters hospital.

Patnaik talked to doctors at the DHH about the healthcare facility.

He also visited the under-construction building of the government medical college and hospital at Kabitra.

He will review implementation of a project for ensuring livelihood of mining-affected people; a drinking water project at Hatidari, two other projects at Kodagadia and Mirigisinga; the model school at Lahanda, a 50-bed maternity hospital, apart from taking stock of issues like air pollution in Joda mining areas.

Patnaik will also visit several villages under Joda and Jhumpura blocks to see mega drinking water projects at 126 villages.

Courtesy: Odisha Post

Mining firms stop school buses, 70 kids stuck at home

PANAJI: Around 70 children in Sonshi, and several others in the state’s mining belt, are unable to go to school as mining companies, after their operations came to a standstill following the Supreme Court order, stopped providing them transport.

It is the state government’s responsibility in these circumstances to immediately provide free transport to these schoolchildren as also water to these areas, Ashok Shrimali of the voluntary organisation mines, minerals and people said. Read more

TimesView Mining areas like Sonshi have always faced the brunt of government neglect, first when they were being smothered in pollution and now when their children have been deprived school bus service and are forced to stay home. The government provides buses to aided schools under the Bal Rath scheme, why does it not extend the scheme to government schools as economically underprivileged children are more likely to go to these schools.
“We held a daylong workshop today with mining affected people from across Goa and the main issues affecting them presently is no transport for their children to go to school and lack of water. Mining companies have stopped providing both as their operations have shut. They say they are now contributing towards the district mineral foundation (DMF) instead,” Ravindra Velip of mines, minerals and people said.

Velip said it is shameful that children are unable to go to school because of lack of transport. “It is the primary responsibility of the state government to provide these basic requirement and they should do so immediately. The state cannot wash its hands off the responsibility,” he added.

Shrimali said that the state government also urgently needs to carry out a study on the groundwater situation in the mining belt.

“Goa has a DMF of about Rs 186 crore, of which Rs 10 crore have been utilised so far. When we checked the ground reality, we were informed that due to mismanagement the Rs 10 crore which was spent has failed to benefit the affected community,” said Shirmali.

Courtesy: The Times of India

1 … 21 22 23 24 25 … 33