The Telangana government has recently revised its District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Rules, making the institution dominated by politicians, and ousting provisions for any peoples’ involvement, including of the Gram Sabha.
The Rules, which were amended in May-end (and made public in June), have included only Members of Parliament (MP), members of the state legislative assembly (MLA) and legislative council (MLC), in the DMF body.
DMF has been instituted under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act or the MMDR Act, 2015. It has been set up in all mining districts across the country as a non-profit Trust. Its purpose has been clearly spelt under the MMDR Act as “to work for the benefit of people and areas affected by mining-related operations.” The body has a two-tier administrative structure to guide its operation and management, namely the Governing Council and the Managing Committee. Further, the engagement of people has been insisted upon through Gram Sabhas, which should be made part of identifying DMF beneficiaries, approve works to be done through DMF, and also review work progress.
Telangana is one among the top six states in India with regard to DMF collection, with a total amount of Rs 1,620 crore collected so far. Read more
Courtesy: Down to earth
