Hutti Gold Mines to triple production in one-and-half years: Mines and Geology Minister Nirani
New Delhi, Feb 14: India's only gold producer Hutti Gold Mines plans to triple annual production of the yellow metal to 5,000 kgs in one-and-a-half years, according to Karnataka Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh R Nirani.
Nirani, who completes one month in office as cabinet minister in the BJP-ruled Karnataka government, added that due to COVID-19, the revenue from mines auction so far in the current fiscal could reach only 85 per cent of the Rs 3,700 crore achieved in 2019-20. But in the next fiscal, it is expected to surpass the target of Rs 4,000 crore.
The minister also highlighted the new policy measures the state government is working on to curb illegal mining and attract investment, including introducing a single-window clearance system and holding 'mining adalats' for addressing grievances, besides ramping up gold production in the state.
Speaking to PTI, the minister said Karnataka has the distinction of being the only gold ore producer in India. There are enough reserves, technology and market for gold, the price of which has soared to over Rs 47,000 per 10 grams now.
Hutti Gold Mines Company Limited (HGML), a Karnataka government undertaking, operates one unit each in Raichur and Chitradurga districts.
"Currently, HGML is producing 1,700 kg per annum. Within 18 months, the plan is to increase gold production to 5,000 kg per annum. There are reserves, technology and markets. There is potential," Nirani said.
According to the HGML website, the Chitradurga unit's operations for gold mining and processing ore have been temporarily suspended and the company has diversified into wind farm projects.
The Hutti Gold Unit (HGU) in Raichur district is a fully integrated facility with a capacity to produce 5,50,000 tonnes per annum.
Asked about the number of mining assets to be auctioned in the 2021-22 fiscal, the minister said there are certain issues in mining because of which the proposals are pending at the central government level.
Already, the state government has made a representation to the Union Mines Ministry which has assured clearance of pending proposals and paving the way for auctions in a transparent way, he said.
On revenue earned from mines auction in 2020-21, Nirani said it has reached only 85 per cent of the Rs 3,700 crore achieved in the 2019-20 fiscal.
"The revenue was lower this year because of lack of mining activities in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. However for next fiscal, our target is to achieve Rs 4,000 crore. We expect to surpass this," he added.
Regarding the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds meant to be used in mining-affected areas, the minister said the state government has collected Rs 2,400 crore in the DMF till December 2020. However, only Rs 600 crore has been utilised so far.
"Still we have Rs 1,800 crore. It has not been utilised as in some districts not a single meeting has been convened in the last two years," Nirani said.
However, district collectors in mining areas have been directed to hold monthly meetings and warned of strict action for not utilising the DMF funds which are normally used for construction of roads and health infrastructure, among others, he added.
As regards the policy changes the state government is mulling to make mining activities more transparent, the minister said permissions are required from seven-eight departments, from revenue to environment and transport, for carrying out any mining work.
However, there are certain gaps in the current system due to which in some cases mining activity appears to be illegal.
For example, a company is served with a notice for illegal mining work by the forest department two years after issuing a 'no objection certificate' (NOC) for the same project, he said.
Suppose a company has got permission to excavate from 'x' mine but due to non-recovery has excavated at 'y' place. Even this is termed as illegal but investors have a different view on this, he said, adding these gaps will be addressed.
Nirani, who discussed these issues with Union Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday in the national capital, said the central government has assured it of support and cooperation on this issue.
Further, he said the state government is planning to introduce a single window clearance system for mining projects. "Already, a draft is ready and very soon the policy will be announced. The idea is to fast-track the clearance and attract investment," he said.
That apart, the government plans to hold 'mining adalats' in Mysuru, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Bengaluru and Mangalore on a fortnightly basis to address grievances related to mining projects, he added.
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Bengal awaits May 4 results; TMC looks to retain power, BJP aims historic win after record turnout
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal heads into verdict day on Monday after over a month of frenzied campaigning, as it waits with bated breath to see whether the TMC manages to hold on to power or the BJP makes a historic breakthrough and claims the state for the first time.
As the EVMs open at 8 am, the CPI(M) and the Congress will be watching with equal keenness, hoping to reclaim a foothold in the state's electoral map after five years in the wilderness, following their wipeout in the 2021 polls.
Counting of votes will take place across 77 centres in the state, with elaborate security arrangements and a charged political atmosphere setting the stage for the declaration of results in 293 of the 294-seat House.
The Election Commission countermanded polls in the entire Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas district, citing “severe electoral offences and subversion of democratic process during polling in a large number of polling stations”.
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The fresh poll in that seat and the counting will take place on May 21 and May 24, respectively.
The two-phase polls in the state ended on April 29, with what the election watchdog said was the state's highest-ever voter turnout of 92.47 per cent since Independence.
Repolling in 15 booths in South 24 Parganas concluded on Saturday, with around 87 per cent turnout recorded, officials said.
The state’s political climate bordered on the vicious, even after the conclusion of polls, leading to fervent anticipation ahead of the announcement of results, with both primary contenders TMC and BJP, claiming they were dead certain about their victory prospects.
Courtesy the tight security arrangements – with over 2.5 lakh central paramilitary personnel on the ground, besides the presence of a thoroughly reshuffled state police force – electoral violence remained at a minimum, and no deaths were reported for the first time in the state’s election history of recent decades.
This was also the first election held in the state in twenty years, conducted after an extensive, albeit controversial, SIR exercise that revised the electoral rolls, removing over 9 million voters.
The jury is out on the impact of the exercise on the electoral fortunes of all parties across the board, prompting pollsters to burn the midnight oil to make sense of the likely choice of voters and keeping the public greatly enthused about what verdict the result day would deliver.
The campaigns recorded the BJP unleashing its full might, with top leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launching all-out attacks on the TMC over corruption, law and order, infiltration, women’s safety and unemployment, while promising welfare measures.
The TMC’s retaliation, with the CM and party MP Abhishek Banerjee leading the charge, focused on SIR harassment, Bengali persecution and ‘outsider’ plank, accusing the BJP of failing to deliver on its national commitments and upholding TMC’s development report card.
Polling for the elections was held on April 23 and April 29, with a total electorate of over 3.21 crores.
The poll body has scaled down the number of counting centres this year to 77 from 87 announced earlier, and 108 in 2021, while putting in place a multi-layered security grid.
“Comprehensive security arrangements have been made to ensure that counting is conducted in a peaceful, transparent and orderly manner,” a senior EC official said.
The run-up to counting, however, has been marked by high political drama, with TMC leaders, helmed by CM Mamata Banerjee, rushing to strongrooms in Kolkata, apprehending counting malpractice and alleging attempts to tamper with the sealed EVMs.
The EC rejected those allegations, maintaining that all electronic voting machines are kept under strict surveillance with round-the-clock security and CCTV monitoring.
“Strongrooms are secured under a three-tier security system, and candidates or their representatives are allowed to keep watch as per protocol. There is no scope for any tampering,” another poll panel official said.
Closer to the counting date, security outside strongrooms has been further tightened, with the EC deploying 165 additional counting observers and 77 police observers to oversee the process and ensure adherence to norms.
In Kolkata, counting for 11 assembly constituencies will be conducted across five locations - Ballygunge Government High School, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University, Shakhawat Memorial School, Netaji Indoor Stadium and St Thomas Boys’ School.
Counting for the Bhabanipur seat, arguably carrying the highest symbolic weight where Mamata Banerjee is taking on senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in a prestige fight on her home turf, will be held at the Sakhawat Memorial centre.
The EC has introduced stringent access control measures, mandating entry only through QR code-based photo identity cards issued via its ECINet system. Mobile phones have been barred inside counting halls, except for returning officers and observers.
The counting exercise will be conducted under a framework upheld by the Supreme Court, which on Saturday declined to pass further directions on a TMC plea challenging the deployment of central government personnel.
The elections saw the TMC contesting in 291 seats and its ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led by Anit Thapa, fielding candidates in three seats in the Darjeeling hills.
The BJP, Congress and the Left Front are gunning for all 294 segments, with parties like Humayun Kabir’s AJUP and Asaduddin Owasi’s AIMIM also trying their luck in some crucial pockets.
BJP leaders like Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Roopa Ganguly and Nishit Pramanik are in the fray, while prominent TMC candidates include Firhad Hakim, Kunal Ghosh, Madan Mitra and Udayan Guha.
