10-12 mines could start, raising revenue by Rs 742 Cr: Parsekar
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 25 March 2015 23:46 IST
The revenue from mining is expected to double in this financial year, with Goa government expecting at least 10 to 12 mines to start, if not all 22 cleared by the centre.
This was disclosed to goanews.com by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar last night, though initially at a press briefing he was not sounding confident that mines could start by October, when the season begins post-monsoon.
“We will get royalty as well as e-auction revenue”, he told goanews.com.
The budget has already estimated Rs 742 crore from mining.
Parsekar estimates around Rs 400 crore from mining royalty and Rs 342 crore from e-auction, totalling it to Rs 742 crore.
“Though centre has cleared 22 mines, I think not more than 10 to 12 mines would start in the next season”, admits Parsekar.
Similarly, the mining dumps in the possession of Goa government are worth Rs 2000 crore.
“But couple of e-auctions in this financial year could get us Rs 342 crore”, he said.
He is however also hopeful of the e-auction value going up to Rs 500 to 600 crore.
“If no mine starts, we would adjust the amount with the revenue surplus of Rs 408 crore. Then our surplus would be only Rs 8 crore”, he said.
It appeared that he was not confident of mines starting this season from October primarily because he was not sure whether all the formalities could be completed by September end.
“Mining activity in the state is set to resume very soon because the central government of the day has revoked the arbitrary order of the erstwhile central government issued in September, 2012 suspending environmental clearances”, stated Parsekar in his budget speech.
Amey Abhyankar, director of tourism, in fact said the ECs have just been revoked and there are several procedural formalities need to be completed.
However, the mining revenue Goa government is expecting is almost double the amount of what was fetched in the last two years, during Manohar Parrikar’s regime.
The budget documents show that revenue of around Rs 400 crore each Goa has earned in the last two years.
However, loss of mining revenue had pushed the government also in the condition of revenue deficit.
In 202-13, the revenue deficit was Rs 252 crore while the fiscal deficit had dipped down to RS 1137 crore.
In 2013-14, the revenue deficit dipped further to Rs 354 crore while the fiscal deficit was Rs 1370 crore.
And despite showing revenue surplus of Rs 46 crore last year, the fiscal deficit dipped a record low of Rs 1611 crore.
However, may be the reasons best known to him, Parsekar could not capitalise on this estimated double revenue on mining in his budget speech.
If he had done it, that could neutralise the petrol hike, which is bound to boomerang on the BJP government.
BJP failed to recover 35 Thousand Cores from Congress. BJP failed to put Congress MLAs in jail for Corruptions. Congress and BJP enjoy each other support. They are making public fool. AAP is the only hope for Goa & Goans.