27 SEPTEMBER 2013www.orissadiary.com
Union minister for rural development requests Vedanta to find another bauxite excavation site
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
Union minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh today said the state government and Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) should find another place to excavate bauxite to feed the company’s refinery plant located at Lanjigarh. Minister Ramesh said this while addressing media at Congress HQs in Bhubaneswar.
“If Odisha is serious about Vedanta’s alumina project, both the state government and VAL should spare Niyamgiri hills and find some mines other than Niyamgiri,” said Ramesh.
The minister, who was here to illustrate the clauses of the Land Acquisition Bill, said “The bauxite reserves in Niyamgiri hill is seven per cent less than the requirement of VAL’s Lanjigarh refinery. I had mentioned it in August 2010, when I was minister for MoEF. Instead of considering my suggestion, the state governrment challenged it in the Supreme Court, which upheld my decision.” The Union minister also blamed the state government for the delay in the steel plant at Jagatsinghpur to be developed by South Korean steel giant Posco.
Rejecting Odisha government's claim that it would be a net loser in event of implementation of provisions of the Food Security Bill, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the state would get Rs 4,800 crore as food subsidy against Rs 4,100 crore received earlier per annum.
"After implementation of Food Security Act, 82 per cent people in rural Odisha and 56 per cent in urban areas of the state will benefit under the scheme," he told.
Replying to Odisha government's claim that the state's share of foodgrains would be slashed if the Act is implemented, the Union Minister said Odisha would receive a higher amount than the present allocation.
Odisha has been receiving an average of 20.8 lakh tonnes of foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) every year for last three years. And now, the state will get 21.1 lakh tonnes per year under the Food Act, Ramesh said.
"The allegations of the state government are false and baseless. It is only politicisation. No state will be affected due to the implementation of the Act," he said.
“If Odisha is serious about Vedanta’s alumina project, both the state government and VAL should spare Niyamgiri hills and find some mines other than Niyamgiri,” said Ramesh.
The minister, who was here to illustrate the clauses of the Land Acquisition Bill, said “The bauxite reserves in Niyamgiri hill is seven per cent less than the requirement of VAL’s Lanjigarh refinery. I had mentioned it in August 2010, when I was minister for MoEF. Instead of considering my suggestion, the state governrment challenged it in the Supreme Court, which upheld my decision.” The Union minister also blamed the state government for the delay in the steel plant at Jagatsinghpur to be developed by South Korean steel giant Posco.
Rejecting Odisha government's claim that it would be a net loser in event of implementation of provisions of the Food Security Bill, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the state would get Rs 4,800 crore as food subsidy against Rs 4,100 crore received earlier per annum.
"After implementation of Food Security Act, 82 per cent people in rural Odisha and 56 per cent in urban areas of the state will benefit under the scheme," he told.
Replying to Odisha government's claim that the state's share of foodgrains would be slashed if the Act is implemented, the Union Minister said Odisha would receive a higher amount than the present allocation.
Odisha has been receiving an average of 20.8 lakh tonnes of foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) every year for last three years. And now, the state will get 21.1 lakh tonnes per year under the Food Act, Ramesh said.
"The allegations of the state government are false and baseless. It is only politicisation. No state will be affected due to the implementation of the Act," he said.
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