Two days after chief minister Arjun Munda came up with a first of its kind observation that the mineral resources of the state were both a “boon and bane” for the people of this state,Union Minister of State for coal,Pratik Prakashbapu today said,Jharkhand had got crores of royalty on coal during the past five years.
Munda had made his view point known while addressing a function orgainsed by the Ranchi edition of the Times of India on Saturday.What he meant was that the sum of royalty the state had received from the Centre was one thing.Another thing was the the sad realty at ground zero.
Since Independence this part of the country had supplied to the Centre billions of tonnes of major minerals,almost 40 percent of the total contributions made by other minerally rich states,that had kept India growing.And in the process,Jharkhand had received tens of crores of ruppes as royalty.
But this sum of royalty was so pittance that the people who inhabited the minerally areas had to suffer untold miseries.They had to cope up without good roads,electricity,literacy,health care and employment opportunities,almost sixty five years after India gained freedom.
“While the minerals of this state enriched the country,the indegenous people lost land,forest and environment.This was not dully compensated by the Centre”,said Sudhakar Singh,a school teacher who echoed Munda’s sentiments.
