Corp for development of 8 mine rich dists in Odisha gets going

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Dec 31:

The Odisha Mineral Bearing Area Development Corporation (OMBADC) has started its operations for development of eight tribal dominated districts in the first phase.

The corporation, in its first Board of Directors meeting at the State Secretariat here on Tuesday, discussed the proposed action plan worth Rs 818 crore for developmental activities in the mineral bearing areas.

Presiding over the meeting, chief secretary GC Pati advised the Corporation to lay emphasis on field level execution of the action plan through close monitoring and involvement of the community and ensure inter-departmental coordination and convergence with ongoing programmes of the state.

The corporation will undertake area development and tribal welfare works for ensuring inclusive growth and environmental upgradation in mineral bearing areas of the state.

The objective of the corporation include improved infrastructure, facilitating livelihood enhancement, income enhancement of the tribal and vulnerable households, boosting human development index, environmental sustainability and reduction of income disparity.

The Corporation will draw its funds from additional Net Present value (NPV) realised from mining leases.

As decided at the meeting, about 50 per cent of such NPV would be utilised through the Corporation for the development of the mineral bearing areas, the state government has provided Rs 1 lakh as token share capital.

In the first phase, it has been proposed to launch the interventions in eight districts like Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jajpur, Koraput, Jharsuguda, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj and Angul as major portion of the total additional NPV of Rs 1661 crore has been realised from these districts, they said.

An action plan of Rs 818 crore was discussed in meeting. The major activities include raising social infrastructure, provision of drinking water, sanitation, livelihood promotion, irrigation, skill development for alternative livelihood and supplementary income.

Besides, environmental upgradation, construction of roads, anganwadi centres, power supply infrastructure, health services, development of sports and other activities would also form part of the action plan.

The programmes will be coordinated and monitored through a district level committee under the chairmanship of collectors of the eight districts.

The line departments, people’s representatives and NGO workers will be involved at the ground level for effecting better implementation, they said.