PANAJI
In a major setback to the Goa Police, the North Goa District Mineral Foundation (NGDMF) has rejected a proposal to purchase two new Mahindra Thar vehicles at a cost of Rs 30.56 lakh using District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds, which are earmarked for welfare of mining-affected communities.
The proposal, which had been recommended by the Governing Council (GC) in April last year, was turned down by the Managing Committee (MC) during its meeting held last month. The committee cited that the purchase does not fall within the ambit or guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY), under which DMF funds are to be utilised.
“The MC decided to drop the project and inform the same to the GC. As per new instructions issued by the Union Ministry of Mines, purchase of vehicles for officials that do not directly benefit the community should not be taken up under DMF,” the minutes of the meeting state.
The committee also directed representatives of all departments to ensure that only those proposals which directly benefit mining-affected people are placed before the foundation for approval.
In April last year, the GC had approved the purchase of four vehicles- two each for North and South Goa Police - to be added to their fleet for daily patrolling in mining-affected areas. The Superintendent of Police had then stated that the vehicles would be used to transport injured persons or deceased individuals during the monsoon season, particularly from remote and inaccessible locations.
However, as per guidelines, DMF funds are meant to be spent on high-priority sectors such as health, education, irrigation, drinking water and women empowerment in mining-affected regions. Expenditure on police vehicles does not find mention under the prescribed list of permissible activities.
The SP had earlier informed the foundation that base model vehicles would be purchased at a lower cost and that operational, maintenance and fuel expenses would be borne by the police department.
