New Delhi | March 15, 2015: The Centre is in a fix over the Rs.2-lakh crore mopped up from the auction of 33 coal mines.
Even as the Coal Mines Bill is being discussed by a Rajya Sabha Select Committee, it is not clear who will be the custodian of the Rs. 2-lakh crore or how it will be disbursed to the host States.
During deliberations of the Select Committee on the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015, Opposition Parliamentarians repeatedly asked the Centre to spell out how it plans to distribute the money to the States.
With just four days left for the Budget session to end (March 20), the Select Committee has been working on a priority basis since March 13 to submit its report by March 18.
According to official sources, the Rules for the Ordinance have a provision dealing with transfer of money to the beneficiaries, but there is no clarity on who will be the custodian. Members of the Select Committee want the Government to take the views of all the States involved before suggesting a framework for allotment of the money to the host States. In its present form, the Bill does not sufficiently address the concerns raised by several States. The Government merely claims that eastern States will benefit from the new Bill.
“This (the Bill) will help the coal-bearing States of eastern India which are generally less developed. The primary beneficiaries of this bonanza are the States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and West Bengal,” the Government has been maintaining.
“But where are the provisions? We have demanded that the Bill should make it clear that the revenue generated from the auctions will go to States and the process should also be clear in the Bill,” said an Opposition MP.
(Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/)