Meant for welfare of mine workers, only 7% fund spent
DMFT As per the rules, at least 60% of the funds collected are to be used for welfare of persons in miningaffected areas
: The District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) that was set up for the mine workers welfare generated Rs1593.13 crore in the financial year 2017-18, but the actual expenditure from the fund has been a measly Rs119.17 crore, as per the department of mines and geology.
A source in the department said work under the DMFT was going slow in almost all of the 33 districts. He said the scheduled meetings of the departments to decide on the projects to be taken up with the funds were not held regularly.
He said a total of 7157 schemes entailing an expenditure of Rs1058.41 crore were approved under the DMFT. Of this, financial sanction has been issued for 2,845 schemes with an estimated outlay of Rs 506.75 crore.
There are around 25 lakh mine workers in Rajasthan.
Bhilwara has been allotted highest amount of funds in the DMFT at Rs 578.56 crore. It has cleared development works worth Rs 215.49 crore but the actual spend on welfare works has been only Rs 38.16 crore.
Rajsamand collected Rs 349.08 crore and sanctioned works worth Rs 323.23 crore but spent only Rs 40.14 crore.
The trend in the other districts too is same. Six districts – Jaisalmer, Nagaur, Tonk, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Karauli — have not got any development works cleared by the governing council.
As per the rules, at least 60% of the funds collected are to be used for welfare of persons in mining affected areas on drinking water, health, education, sanitation, skill development, and welfare of women, children, elderly, and physically challenged.
The remaining 40% can be used in areas such as infrastructure, irrigation, power and waste land development.
The state government had notified the District Mineral Foundation Trust Rules 2016 on May 31, 2016. The DMFT is a trust
JAIPUR
Bhilwara Rajsamand Ajmer Chittorgarh Udaipur Public Works Health
Education
Rural Development PHED
Social Justice
Women &Child Water resources Forest
set up as a non-profit body in mining affected districts. The objective of the trust is to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining related operations.
The fund in the trust is contributed by the mining lease holders. The contribution is 30% of royalty for major minerals and 10% of royalty for minor minerals.
However, Rana Sengupta, managing trustee and CEO of the Mine Labour Protection Campaign Trust says the government is only duplicating the fund spend. “The different departments already have funds from their respective departments, which is sufficient. The government is diverting funds for welfare of mining workers.”
He said under The Mines Act 1952 and Rajasthan Mining Settlement Act 1956, the funds are to be spent on crèches, vocational training, day care centres, andsshelter rooms for workers at mining sites.
Sengupta said the DMFT has no legal entity as it is not registered and there is no representation of mine workers associations and trade unions.
“The government should set up a Mine Workers Welfare Board on the lines of the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Board. This will benefit not only the mine workers but also ensure their votes to the government,” says Sengupta.
Under the DMFT, a governing council under the zila pramukh, a managing committee under the collector and a state level empowered committee under the chief secretary has been constituted. The managing committee submits proposals for projects or schemes to be undertaken to the governing council. The governing council can sanction projects up to Rs1 crore.