Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed district collectors to ensure that the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds are not used for projects that can be financed through the state budget or existing govt schemes, signalling a shift towards more targeted use of mining revenues in affected areas.The direction came during a recent review of expenditure being done through the DMF, where Yogi noted that works already covered under various schemes and initiatives are routinely being commissioned with the funds that are collected through the mining activity.In a non-profit statutory trust established in mining-affected areas to help with welfare works required for the local population, money collected through the mining activity in the DMF kitty has to be channelised to improve the socio-economic status of the affected population. Emphasising the welfare of the public, Yogi said DMF resources should be used for projects that address critical gaps in mining-affected regions. He suggested prioritising creation of anganwadis (child care centres), skill development centres, digital libraries and community facilities.So far UP has collected Rs 2,448.23 crore as earnings during the award of mining contracts. Out of this amount, Rs 1,534.04 crore has been allocated to concerned district collectors for utilisation and Rs 1,187.54 crore has already been spent. A total of 8,371 projects have already been executed through the funds or have been sanctioned. Education has been the focus area for the state with 3,415 projects out of the total ones aimed at providing quality education in the region where mining activity is undertaken.Sonbhadra alone has contributed Rs 1,484.14 crore, nearly 61% of the state’s total collections. Officials said DMF is going to be treated as a gap-funding resource for mining-affected areas rather than an additional source of financing for projects already covered under other budgets and schemes.
