Odisha MP Demands Raising of Mining Royalty for State

New Delhi: Odisha MP Dr. Sasmit Patra today demanded the Centre to revise the mining royalty on coal for the State.

Raising the issues and demands of Odisha in the Rajya Sabha, the Biju Janata Dal MP said that many issues relating to coal mining are not still addressed.

Dr. Patra has specifically highlighted the issue of revising the royalty on coal, which is due since April 2015.

He further said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged the Centre to raise the mining royalty for Odisha.

Notably, there have been repeated demands by the Odisha Government for enhancement of rates of royalty and sharing of clean energy Cess by Odisha.

The royalty on coal was last revised more than seven years ago in May 2012, as per reports.

The State Government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been demanding enhancement from present rate of royalty of 14% to 20%.

Earlier in March this year, the Chief Minister demanded to the then Union coal minister Piyush Goyal to revise the royalty.

Because of non-revision due since May 2015, the State Government has lost about Rs 2900 crore towards royalty and another Rs 700 core towards DMF contribution upto March, 2019, according to reports.

Further, since the introduction of clean energy cess levied on coal from 2010-11, the Central Government has received about Rs 23,000 crore but Odisha has not received a single penny. Odisha’s demand for sharing of at least 60% of clean energy cess to deal with negative externalities of coal mining has not yet been considered, sources said.

Due to coal mining in Odisha, the resultant pollution of air, water and soil is being faced by the people of State.