Panaji, Oct 14 (PTI) The North Goa District Mineral Foundation Trust (NGDMFT) has approved development projects of over Rs 6.5 crore in mining-affected areas, including rooftop solar installations, farm subsidies, waste management infrastructure, healthcare initiatives and educational support, officials said on Wednesday.
The decisions were taken at a recent meeting of the trust’s governing council chaired by the North Goa Collector, according to an official statement.
Iron ore mining has been a major source of revenue for the coastal state. It is mainly held in talukas including Sattari, Bicholim in North Goa, and Sanguem, Dharbandora in the Kushawati district.
The mining activity in Goa first came to a standstill in 2012 after the Justice M B Shah Commission pointed out illegalities in the sector. The industry partially resumed its operations in 2014, but was shut down again in February 2018 after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases. The operations later gradually resumed in 2024.
The NGDMFT’s council approved Rs 1.5 crore under a convergence scheme with the Centre’s PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana to provide additional assistance for rooftop solar installations to around 500 households in mining-affected areas. Eligible beneficiaries will receive Rs 10,000 per kW, subject to a maximum of Rs 30,000 per household and other prescribed conditions.
It also sanctioned an additional subsidy scheme of Rs 1 crore for eligible Krishi Card holders in mining-affected regions. Under the scheme, farmers will receive assistance of up to Rs 20,000 each over and above existing subsidies. The amount will be disbursed through direct benefit transfer on a first-come, first-served basis until March 31, 2027, or until the allocated funds are exhausted.
For waste management, the council approved Rs 2.03 crore for a 750-square-metre dry waste management shed and Rs 19 lakh for a one-tonne-per-day Nisargruna rapid composter for the Sanquelim Municipal Council. The facility will also process dry waste generated by neighbouring mining-affected village panchayats.
In the education sector, the trust approved assistance of Rs 10 lakh annually for up to 10 students from mining-affected areas pursuing mining engineering at the Goa College of Engineering.
The council also cleared funding for healthcare initiatives, including welfare measures for special children and tuberculosis patients, as well as improvements to facilities at the Community Health Centre in Bicholim. The veterinary hospital at Honda in Sattari will also be upgraded.
Additionally, the governing council approved a revised standard operating procedure to streamline the procurement and implementation of sanctioned projects.
It also gave the nod for the preparation of a five-year perspective plan and an annual action plan in consultation with government departments, panchayats and other stakeholders. The plans will identify priority sectors, funding requirements and key interventions in mining-affected areas to ensure need-based and sustained development.
(PTI News)
