PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Bharatiya Janata Party State president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt has responded to former chief minister and Haridwar MP Trivendra Singh Rawat’s recent statement on illegal mining in the State. He stated that the figures clearly show that mining revenue has increased more than three times in the current financial year. He added that due to a transparent policy, revenue collection from mining has increased eight times, which should be appreciated.
Bhatt emphasised that the State’s economic condition has improved due to the mining policy that has brought financial relief. He said that when the BJP government was formed in 2017, the previous Congress government had left mining revenue at Rs 335.27 crore. However, efforts by the BJP government have led to consistent growth in revenue. He claimed that under chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s leadership, especially after 2022, mining revenue and collections from mining activities have reached new levels.
According to Bhatt, the State has already collected Rs 1,025 crore in mining revenue for the financial year 2024-25 and this is expected to exceed Rs 1,100 crore. He also criticised the Congress for alleging illegal mining in the State, claiming that its governments had worked in favour of the mining mafia, whereas the BJP government has ensured that the State benefits through transparent policies.
It will be recalled that Rawat’s statement in the Lok Sabha had caused embarrassment to the State government, following which the Mining secretary issued a clarification rejecting the allegations, while the BJP also came to the State government’s defence.
