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Goa District Mineral Foundation Rules, 2016

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has expressed opposition to District Mineral Foundation rules notified by government of Goa. According to CSE, these rules failed to make DMF relevant to the ‘people’ with ‘misplaced focus’ on fund utilisation.

The Goa government has notified the District Mineral Foundation rules which make it mandatory for mine owners to pay one-third of their royalty payment for developing areas in the mining belt. The state Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) notified the Goa Districts Mineral Foundation Rules, 2016. The rules are framed considering the principles of sustainable mining, inter-generational equity, protection of environment and ecology and fulfilling needs of the people affected with the mining activity. Several objectives of the DMF are notified by Directorate of Mines and Geology, which include restoring the ecology damaged by mining or other activity, providing health facilities, education, social welfare, building road / bridge network, desilting of water bodies including dams, rivers etc, installation of pollution control devices, sewage treatment plants, afforestation and others. The rules make it mandatory that 50 per cent of the contribution towards the fund of DMF shall be deposited in fix deposit or government bond/ bank bond.

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