Saturday, 29 MARCH 2025 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Bharatiya Janata Party has stated that the increase in mining revenue is a positive development for the State’s economy and has accused Congress of spreading misinformation due to its frustration. The party claimed that Congress is concerned because the increased penalties have affected mining operators associated with them. Uttarakhand BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt said that mining revenue has more than tripled in the current financial year, while collections from mining-related penalties have increased eightfold. He claimed that this transparency has benefited the State’s economy and reduced financial burden on the public. Bhatt dismissed the opposition’s allegations regarding mining practices as baseless and driven by dissatisfaction over losses faced by their associates. He said that under the previous Congress government, mining revenue stood at Rs 335.27 crore in 2017. Since then, the BJP government has taken a serious approach, leading to significant growth in revenue collection. He credited the rise in revenue to the policies introduced by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s administration. He claimed that measures such as e-tendering and e-auctions for mining leases, strict monitoring of illegal mining and regulation of transportation and storage have contributed to this increase. He said that the State has already collected approximately Rs 1,025 crore in mining revenue in the 2024-25 financial year, with expectations of surpassing Rs 1,100 crore. Bhatt rejected allegations by Congress regarding illegal mining, unauthorised transportation and mineral extraction without royalty documents. He said that the record revenue increase since the State’s formation proves that the Mining department is functioning with transparency and effective oversight. He added that over the past five years, mining-related fines have risen from Rs 18.05 crore to Rs 74.22 crore, which Bhatt claimed has mainly impacted Congress-backed operators. He accused past Congress governments of allowing revenue losses under pressure from mining operators. He alleged that previous administrations designed mining policies to benefit specific individuals and that a former chief minister was even seen on camera granting access to State resources. He stated that the current government’s policies ensure that mining benefits the State and provides affordable materials to the public.
