Other States - Orissa   

Call to fix mining cess at 50 p.c. of profit

BHUBANESWAR: With Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik preparing for the all-important meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 19 regarding the mineral policy, the Samruddha Odisha, a newly floated party, has demanded that mining cess be fixed at a minimum of 50 per cent of profit being earned by the mining industry.

Presenting a comparative figure on mineral trade in the State at a press conference here on Wednesday, party’s president Jatish Chandra Mohanty said mineral industries earned a profit of Rs. 24,517 crores during 2006-07 financial year.

“Had the government imposed 50 per cent of profit as cess, it could have managed its annual budget for another three years,” Mr. Mohanty said.

“Industries have been left to exploit mineral wealth without contributing much to the State,” he said.

The Centre was also out to take a slice of profit from the lucrative trade by trying to control the mineral resources, which was a State subject, he said.

An expert committee, comprising representatives of government, mining industry and academia, should decide the cost and profit in a transparent manner as per the global market mechanism, he said.

He came down heavily on Mr. Patnaik for not taking up the issue when he was Minister of Mines at the Centre.

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