50% of DMF fund to be utilised for fighting corona infection in Durg

The Hitavada | May 19, 2021

All the members of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) emphasized on the use of DMF’s resources to deal with the corona infection in the meeting of DMF Governing Council held on Tuesday. Members said that keeping in view the apprehension of the third wave, it is very important that adequate arrangements are made to deal with it and for this adequate funds should be made available through DMF. In the meeting, the Minister in-charge of the district, Mohammad Akbar said that with the opinion and decision of the members, half the amount i.e. about Rs 3 crores should be reserved for expenditure under this head.

After consideration of the proposals of the honorable members from the remaining Rs 3 crore 38 lakh, work on them should be started. Home and PWD Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu said that the remaining amount should be sanctioned for the development works which are of the most urgent nature. Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey said that DMF will have to constantly update its resources to provide help. PHE Minister Guru Rudra Kumar said that DMF have continuously worked in this direction and further preparation will be very useful for us.

Durg MLA Arun Vora kept the major demands of the area in the meeting. Vaishali Nagar MLA Vidyaratan Bhasin said that the vaccination process will be long, construction work can be started from the DMF item at the vaccination sites so that people do not face problems in the rainy season. Bhilai MLA raised the issue of drinking water in the township. Collector Dr Bhure said that the BSP management has been told to change the technology of the filter plant and take immediate measures. The administration has conducted a re-test of drinking water and the quality has improved. At the meeting, Collector Dr Bhure informed in detail about the work done so far from DMF resources. He said that works worth Rs 133 crore have been proposed so far, most of which have been completed. Out of 3475 sanctioned works, 352 works are in progress. District Panchayat President Shalini Yadav, BMC Commissioner Rituraj Raghuvanshi, District Panchayat CEO Sachchidanand Alok, Risali Corporation Commissioner Prakash Surve and other officials were present in the meeting.

Mineral Foundation fund to be used to buy oxygen tankers in Karnataka

The New Indian Express | May 16, 2021

The state government on Saturday decided to utilise the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund for the purchase of oxygen tankers, oxygen concentrators,

The state government on Saturday decided to utilise the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund for the purchase of oxygen tankers, oxygen concentrators, pulse oximeters and other emergency medical needs.

A meeting chaired by Mines and Geology minister Murugesh R Nirani decided to utilise funds available under the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund to tackle the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, said a statement issued by the minister’s office.

As per the decisions taken at the meeting, the authorities will procure 10 cryogenic oxygen tankers — two each will be provided to four revenue divisions in the state, and two oxygen tankers will be sent to the coastal region. Regional Commissioners will be given the power to manage and monitor the movements of these oxygen tankers, the statement said.

DMF funds for pandemic treatment

The Hindu | May 13, 2021

The Mines and Geology Department has allowed Dakshina Kannada district administration to utilise funds available under the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) for purchase of oxygen tankers, medicines and other health related items needed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department has decided to consider similar demands from other districts.

The decision was taken after BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel appealed to Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh Nirani seeking utilisation of funds under DMF owing to fund crunch faced by the authorities. Mr. Kateel recently spoke to Mr. Nirani and requested him to allow the district to use funds under DMF for purchase of emergency medical needs such as oxygen tankers which are essential to stock oxygen and transport it to hospitals treating COVID patients.

A note from Mr. Nirani’s office said that the Karnataka government had set up the DMF for development of mining-ravaged districts in the State. The funds can be used for welfare schemes such as health, pollution control, women and child development, drinking water supply, sanitation, education, skill development, power generation and irrigation, the note said.

Rs. 20 crore from Mineral Fund spent on roads, water projects

The Hindu | May 11, 2021

The East Godavari District Committee on District Mineral Fund (DMF) on Monday accepted a proposal to allocate funds for the seven rural water supply works and repairs of the Tuni-Kattipudi road, during a virtual meeting headed by Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy.

Joint Collector (Revenue) G. Lakshmisha and Sub-Collectors at Amalapuram and Rajamahendravaram and Project Officers at Rampachodavaram and Chintoor participated in the meeting.

“A total of Rs. 20 crore fund from the Rs. 32.89 crore District Mineral Fund has been spent on various developmental works including roads, water and health in the areas where the mining activities have been permitted,” said Mr. Muralidhar.

The government collects fund from the mining companies and agencies engaged in the mining of various mineral resources in the district. The committee has allocated Rs. 2.64 crore for the seven rural water supply projects at Rajanagaram Assembly segment. Officials have been directed to speed up the proposed works.

BJP seeks white paper on Covid management expenditure

The New Indian Express | May 11, 2021
The objective of creating separate funds for DMF and OMBADC is to bring in transformation in the lives of the people affected by intensive mining activities.

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the ruling BJD has urged the Centre to release the second instalment of the untied grants of 15th Finance Commission for 2021-22 to rural local bodies (RLBs), the BJP on Monday demanded a white paper from the State government on expenditure made on management of second wave of Covid-19.

Claiming that Odisha government’s coffers are empty, State BJP vice president Bhrugu Baxipatra said the expenditure so far made for Covid management in the State was borne out of the funds available under Central grants and assistance, National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Trust fund, Odisha Mineral Bearing Area Development Corporation (OMBADC) and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

“Let the State government make its budgetary provision for Covid management for the current fiscal, expenditure so far made and the sources of funding to fight the pandemic public,” Baxipatra said. The BJP has been asking the State government to give a detailed account of expenditure made to fight the pandemic in 2020-21. The government tried its best to reply to several questions put forward by BJP legislators in the budget session of the Assembly.

The objective of creating separate funds for DMF and OMBADC is to bring in transformation in the lives of the people affected by intensive mining activities. Since there are huge deposits in the two specially designed funds, the State government is misutilising the funds to gain chip political mileage, said the BJP leader.

The State government had no problem on financial front last year. “It splurged money like anything without seeking any Central assistance. Sarpanchs were given the powers of district Collector. We fail to understand why the same government has taken a U-turn when the Covid situation across the State is worsening and people are crying for immediate medical assistance,” he said.

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