08-04-21 Daily-Odisha-OPSC Current Affairs

Odishahas collected the highest amount of Rs 11,984 crore among all the states under theDistrict Mineral Foundation(DMF) fund since it was created in 2015, Union mines ministerPralhad Joshitold Lok Sabha.

Till January, a total of Rs 45,095.86 crore in DMF fund was generated in the country. Odisha got more than one-fourth of the share, the ministers written reply revealed.

NeighbouringJharkhand(Rs 6,533.04 crore) and Chhattisgarh (Rs 6,329.78 crore) managed to collect the second and third highest amounts under DMF. Rajasthan is fourth, having collected Rs 4,496 crore.

The funds are contribution from mining companies operating in the respective districts, which has been mandated under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015. The mining companies pay 30% equivalent of the royalty amount for leases given before 2015 and 10% for leases granted after that when auction of mines and mineral blocks started.

TheUnion cabinet approvedthere-promulgationofordinanceonair quality managementinNational Capital Region(NCR) and adjoining areas spread over four states Haryana,Punjab,RajasthanandUttar Pradesh with important changes that seek to assuage farm unions opposed to the new <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture laws.

The re-promulgated legislation has been tweaked to take care of the concerns of farmers who had objected to its substantially high penalty provision for stubble burning in neighbouring states. The multi-member statutory commission will now also have representation from farmers, and construction sectors. Penalty provisions for erring industry or other sectors remain intact with jail term up to five years or with fine up to Rs 1 crore or with both for any non-compliance or contravention of any provision or rules and order or direction of the panel.

The commission had replaced The Supreme Court-backed <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Environment-pollution”>ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION (Prevention and Control) Authority EPCA which had been taking care of the issues of Air Pollution in the NCR for last 22 years. The EPCA had successfully implemented certain measures such as relocation of polluting industries, switching over of public transport buses from diesel to CNG and restriction of entry of polluting trucks in the Capital.