the goan I network
PANAJI
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was in Goa for the 37th GST council meeting, said that the government is examining ways to restart iron-ore mining in the State.
It may be recalled that mining has been stalled in Goa ever since the Supreme Court cancelled 88 mining leases on February 7, 2018. This decision directly impacted the livelihoods of people in the state. After repeated memorandums from Goa, the prime minister has appointed a Group of Ministers to find out a solution to the complex issue.
When asked about what efforts are being done by the government to solve the mining issue in the State, Sitaraman said that the Group of Ministers appointed by PM Modi to examine ways to restart mining has made progress. Meanwhile, the Goa Mining People Front in a memorandum made a demand with the Sitaraman to immediately restart mining in Goa. In its memorandum to the Finance Minister, GMPF highlighted that 80000 people i.e. 15 percent of the employable population of the State are directly or indirectly employed and have become unemployed. The memorandum also states that investments of 12000 trucks, 150 barges and 350 machines have been idle due to mining stoppage.
