GOA FOUNDATION WANTS GOA MINERAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AS IT WILL BRING MAXIMUM MONEY TO GOVT
PANAJI: NGO Goa Foundation on Tuesday opined that only formation of Goa Mineral Development Corporation will bring the maximum money to the State government and help the latter to wipe off all its debts and pay for all the social welfare schemes.
Reacting to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s statement that the government is in favour of auctioning of mines, Director of Goa Foundation Claude Alvares said the government is already almost three years late on deciding the fate of mining, since the Supreme Court delivered judgment in February 2018. The only difference now is that the government is officially considering that mining leases will have to be either auctioned or done through Goa Mineral Development Corporation.
The opinion of Goa Foundation is that auctioning of mining leases is bad because it does not give best money to the government and mining in Goa should be done through the Corporation so that the government fetches maximum income from sale of iron ore and help them to wipe off all debts and will also have enough money to take care of social welfare schemes, Alvares said.
Alvares claimed that the iron ore belongs to people of Goa and it does not belong to the government and the mining companies. Goa Foundation will fight in courts and streets to ensure that iron ore is sold and that every Goan benefits.