District Mineral Fund collections bounce back from lockdown lows

Business Line | Oct 13, 2020

Rebound reflects recovery in mineral production across the country
Monthly collections in District Mineral Funds (DMF) have recovered significantly from their lockdown lows, with the gap between collections during 2020 and 2019 narrowing by September-end.

According to data shared by the Ministry of Mines, country-wide DMF collections last month stood at ₹718.46 crore, up from ₹417.29 crore in May, when the country was in the throes of the Covid-19 lockdown.

But compared to the ₹770.99 crore accrued in September 2019, the collections trailed by 6.81 per cent year-on-year.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY), mining companies have to make a contribution for the development of districts where mining activities take place, over and above their royalty payments.

These DMF collections, therefore, are directly linked to the country’s mineral output.

The amount is accumulated in funds controlled by individual District Mineral Foundations.

Arriving at the amount

For mining leases granted on or after January 12, 2015, an incremental amount equal to 10 per cent of the royalty needs to be parked by the mining companies towards DMF contributions.

For those granted before January 12, 2015, the contribution is equal to 30 per cent of the royalty.

Since the royalty is levied either on a per-tonne basis or ad valorem (linked to the sale price of minerals), across States, an increase in mineral output means higher royalties being collected. This also means more accruals in the DMF. With the lockdowns curtailing economic activity, mineral production also took a hit.