By Our Correspondent
BHUBANEWAR:On September 29, six reports of the CAG were presented in the Assembly. In these reports, widespread irregularities, financial irregularities and corruption have come to light in various departments during the previous BJD government. Instead of strengthening the DMF fund as a main basis for the development of the mining areas, the previous government has weakened it at the grassroots level. Despite the huge potential in the tourism sector of Odisha, it has been clearly seen that its development has been hampered due to irregularities and inefficiency. The BJD leadership is sitting on a mountain of corruption, the CAG report has set fire to that gunpowder. Now the explosion of public reaction is inevitable, said Dr. Tapan Chand, state spokesperson and head of the industry chamber, at a press conference held at the state office.
Dr. Chand said that looking at the irregularities and financial misappropriation shown in the CAG report, the difference between the various allegations made by the BJD regarding the MMDR Act 2026 and the actual facts will be found. The BJD and the Congress had earlier opposed the MMDR Act 2015 in Parliament. They tried to mislead the public that it would be harmful to the state. But later there was a significant increase in the state’s mining revenue. The propaganda and misleading tax statement that the BJD is making that there will be a loss of Rs 12,000 crore every year in mining revenue due to the amendment of the MMDR Act 2026 is ridiculous and unnecessary.
In fact, while Odisha’s mining revenue was less than Rs 5,000 crore before 2015, it has reached Rs 51,000 crore in 2025-26.In 2005, the Orissa High Court struck down the Orissa Mining Act. Why did the then BJD government not demand the introduction of the auction system? If the auction system had been introduced at that time, the state’s mining revenue could have increased by at least Rs 17,000 crore every year. It is estimated that the state lost about Rs 1.70 lakh crore due to the non-implementation of the auction system between 2005 and 2015. On the other hand, Dr. Chand had stated in the Supreme Court that the BJD government’s inaction in the Orissa Mining Act case for 18 years was in the best interest of Odisha.
DMF (District Mineral Foundation Fund) is a major pillar of development in mineral-rich Odisha. But the CAG audit has identified many irregularities in the management and use of funds of DMF. According to the DMF Act, DMF funds are supposed to be spent directly within a radius of 15 km of the mine and indirectly within a radius of 25 km of the mine. But according to the CAG report, while Rs 983 crore was spent in villages not affected by mining at all, no project or fund was given from DMF funds in 584 affected villages affected by mining. This has deprived the indigenous tribes, scheduled castes and mining-affected people of their basic rights.
During 2015-24, 3,269 projects worth Rs 9,733.37 crore were approved by Keonjhar DMF. Out of this, 757 projects i.e. 23% were implemented without the approval of the Executive Committee/Board of Trustees. Keonjhar DMF has lost Rs 84.51 crore in interest due to failure to take proper investment decisions. Similarly, Dhenkanal has lost Rs 2.44 crore, Mayurbhanj Rs 6.85 crore and Nabarangpur Rs 0.20 crore.
Not only this, during the BJD government, Odisha’s tourism sector has also been found to be riddled with irregularities and inefficiency in implementation. In the CAG audit report, in the tourism sector, Rs 103.35 crore has been returned unutilized. Rs 898.48 crore is lying in the agency’s bank account.
It has been revealed that the interest earned on this amount of Rs 59.25 crore has not been utilized or refunded. There was a loss of Rs 207.68 crore in the Eco Retreat, while Rs 6.49 crore was wasted in the Puri Prasad project and it was stopped halfway. Rs 8.16 crore was wasted for the Tinta Sagar Floating Musical Fountain, which has failed and is lying in a state of limbo. In the boat royalty sector, Rs 1.42 crore has not been collected from the private sector. Dr. Chand said that the questions raised in the CAG report regarding corruption and irregularities have now become a matter of public debate.Former Minister Shri Arvind Dhali and State Spokesperson Shri Sanjay Rath were present at the press conference.
