look news india
The political atmosphere in Jharkhand has heated up these days, and the war of words between the ruling party and the opposition on electoral and administrative issues has intensified. In this sequence, Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Annapurna Devi has made very serious and sharp attacks on the Hemant Soren government and the Congress Party of the state. Annapurna Devi has alleged that Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress-led coalition government are opposing the amendments and rules of the MMDR (Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation) Act to protect illegal coal theft, mafia rule and large-scale illegal mining in the state. After this statement of the Union Minister, there has been an uproar in the political circles of the state, because illegal mining has been a sensitive and big political issue for a long time in Jharkhand, rich in mineral wealth.
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act i.e. MMDR Act is an important law made by the Central Government to ensure transparency and environmental protection in the exploitation of mineral wealth in the country. The reforms made from time to time in this law are aimed at curbing illegal mining and making the auction process of mineral blocks completely transparent. Union Minister Annapurna Devi argues that the way the Jharkhand government is opposing these central rules or amendments, the intention behind the state’s administrative reforms is not hidden, but the interests of its favorite mining mafias and syndicates are hidden. He says that if transparent rules are strictly implemented, then the shops of illegal syndicates will be closed, which is not acceptable to the present rulers of the state.
Jharkhand is called the power house of India because a large part of the country is dependent on the coal and minerals extracted from the mines here. But the irony is that despite having such immense natural wealth, many parts of the state and the common people are struggling with malnutrition and poverty, the main reason for which is large-scale coal theft and illegal mining. Annapurna Devi strongly alleged that illegal mining business has flourished in the state in the last few years during the tenure of JMM and Congress. Illegal smuggling of coal is carried out overnight through open carts and trucks, which not only causes huge revenue loss to the Central and State exchequer but also causes irreparable damage to the environment. It is considered impossible to carry on illegal business at this level without the alleged connivance of the administration.
Bharatiya Janata Party has always taken the stand that the natural resources of the country should be used for the development of the country and the state and not for filling the pockets of any political party leaders or middlemen. The new provisions brought by the Central Government aim to completely eliminate corruption in the allocation of mines. On the contrary, the present government of Jharkhand has been opposing these rules calling them interference in the federal structure or violation of its rights. Political analysts believe that to avoid these questions being raised on itself, the state government often blames the Center for non-cooperation, whereas the ground reality is that the strict administrative steps required to crack down on the mineral mafia are not being taken due to lack of political will.
As political activities are intensifying in Jharkhand, issues like corruption, coal theft and illegal mining are becoming the biggest election weapons among the public. Annapurna Devi cornering the state government in this aggressive manner is an indication that BJP is in no mood to leave this issue. The general public is also now understanding well whose patronage is behind the looting of the resources of their land. In the coming days, it will be very interesting to see how the state government responds to these serious allegations and whether any drastic changes are seen at the administrative level regarding compliance with the central rules or whether this political rhetoric continues like this.