3 CMs meet PM, seek mineral concessions

New Delhi, Dec 30 (UNI) The Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand and Ministers from Karnataka and Rajasthan today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the new mineral policy should provide for priority in the grant of mineral concessions to value adders in the mineral-owning states.

At a meeting with the Prime Minister, during which they submitted to him a memorandum, they said the special powers, presently available in the Mines laws to the States in this regard, should be continued.

The Chief Ministers -- Dr Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh, Naveen Patnaik of Orissa, and Madhu Kora of Jharkhand, and the two ministers from Rajasthan and Karnataka pointed out to Dr Singh that the mineral rich states continued to be the most backward and the poorest regions of the country.

They emphasised that mineral based industries were the main economic activity that could improve the living standards of the poor inhabitants of the mineral bearing areas, a large number of whom were Scheduled Tribes.

The Chief Ministers impressed upon the need to give support to the ongoing process of rapid industrialisation in the mineral bearing regions for creating employment opportunities for the poor youths.

The emphasised that allotment of captive mines was essential for the viability of the mineral-based industries in the backward areas and that the special powers vested in the states for the past 50 years should be continued to enable the states to provide raw material security to their mineral-based industries.

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