BARGARH: A day after BJD president Naveen Patnaik urged the BJP MPs of Odisha to seek reversal of the amended Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, Bargarh MP Pradip Purohit hit back at the former chief minister, accusing him of presenting a misleading picture of the legislation and questioning the previous government’s record in managing the state’s mineral resources.
In a letter to Naveen on Sunday, Purohit said it was ‘ironic’ that the former chief minister was speaking about parliamentary dignity and the conscience of MPs while, according to him, the BJD had protected an era of arbitrary resource allocation and mining irregularities during its nearly 24-year rule.
Purohit rejected Naveen’s claim that the MMDR amendments would cause Odisha an annual revenue loss of around Rs 12,000 crore. He said the state’s revenues from auction premiums, statutory royalty and district mineral foundation (DMF) collections would remain protected and flow directly to the state exchequer.
He also questioned the BJD government’s record on regulation of the mining sector, citing the Justice MB Shah Commission’s findings into illegal mining during the previous administration. The MP alleged that thousands of crores of rupees worth mineral resources were lost while the previous state government remained a ‘mute spectator’.
On Naveen’s concerns over mining-affected communities, Purohit credited the BJP-led Centre with making DMF mandatory to ensure that mining revenues benefit affected rural and tribal areas.
Purohit also argued that despite Odisha accounting for nearly 44 per cent of the country’s mineral wealth, the state had failed to create sufficient downstream industries and local employment opportunities in the last two decades, forcing youths to migrate in search of jobs.