Iron Ore Extracted and Exported in Odisha during COVID Pandemic

 

Iron Ore Extracted and Exported in Odisha during COVID Pandemic

(From January to December,20)

·         Total  quantity of Iron Ore extracted - 11,09,86,067.9 MT

·         Total  quantity of Iron Ore exported - 2,40,51,516.2 MT

·         Total quantity  of iron Ore exported  through Paradip Port - 1,78,27,683 MT

·         Total quantity  of iron Ore  exported  to China through Paradip Port  - 1,57,37,638 MT

·         Total  revenue  generated -  Rs. 5663.68 CRORES

Odisha is endowed with vast resources of a variety of minerals and occupies a prominent place in the country as a mineral rich State. huge  reserves of high-grade Iron ore,   are extensively available in  Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurhanj, Jajpur in Odisha. This has opened up  huge  investment  and establishment of   Iron-Ore   based industries for manufacture of Steel, Ferro-alloys,   etc., along with setting up other auxiliary and ancillary  industries. Huge  extraction  of Iron Ore  made  for  industrial  consumption in our  state  and  also  for export  to other  states  and  foreign  countries. Govt. of Odisha  has  given lease  to number  of  mining companies  for  extraction  of iron ore  to get  just  revenue  from it. Huge  export  of  raw Iron ore  to  foreign countries  through paradeep Port  and other  ports  is  continuing  day  and night  for  just  few  royalty  from it. The way  Iron Ore  is  exploited  and transported to ports  through   thousands of  Andhra trucks  for export , it may   dwindle  rich deposits  within  couple of  years  leaving  no deposits   for future  generation.

 During  COVID  lockdown  in 2020, when  the whole  state  was  locked  and  suffering  from pandemic  and  all manufacturing companies/ factories  was    almost   closed, extraction  of  iron ore  continues  unabated by the  mining  companies just  to export foreign countries  like China .  Trend of export of Huge quantities  of Iron Ore from Paradeep  Port was more  in pandemic  than previous normal period.   This is  nothing  but  loot  of our  resources  for the benefit of few  at the  cost  of millions of  toiling masses  of our  state. while  Odisha  exported 17  lakh MT  Iron Ore in Feb.20,  the  pandemic situation of May ,20 witnessed export of 28 lakh MT  to foreign countries and other states.

 RTI  was  filed  to the  office  of Directorate  of Mines , Govt. of  Odisha  and Paradip Port  Trust  to understand  magnitude  of Iron ore  extracted , exported  and consumed  in our  state  of Odisha.

 Total Quantity of Iron-Ore Extracted, consumed and exported from Odisha  (from January to December, 20)

 (Information provided by Directorate of Mines  on 24.2.21)

                                                                                                                        (MT)

Year	Iron Ore  Extracted	Iron Ore  Exported	Iron Ore  Consumed by  Industries  in Odisha
January,20	1,29,62,905.84	17,63,572.51	58,14,943.23
Feb.20	1,35,20,360.00	17,81,708.74	55,53,444.48
March,20	1,14,27,967.09	18,30,720.59	57,35,678.44
April , 20	61,13,531.04	17,39,030.62	31,00,470.66
May,20	63,71,697.68	28,06,596.55	31,12,809.85
June,20	55,21,757.21	24,37,424.31	41,60,217.83
July,20	71,65,831.85	30,23,783.82	42,58,503.78
August,20	65,39,458.86	28,16,669.35	38,22,302.65
Sept.20	80,66,156.47	28,35,175.10	44,52,807.30
Oct.20	97,13,439.23	29,39,840.54	57,28,209.89
Nov.20	1,09,92,980.95	13,47,398.05	55,25,709.53
Dec.20	1,25,89,981.44	15,46,265.37	69,18,114.96
Total	11,09,86,067.9	2,40,51,516.2	5,81,83,212.6

Total Quantity of Iron Ore exported from Paradeep Port  ( MT)

(Information obtained from Paradeep Port Trust on 5.3.21 )

Name  of  the Month	Total Quantity  of Iron Ore  exported  from Paradeep Port  ( MT)	Name  of the  places to which Iron Ore exported ( Foreign Countries)	Name  of the  places to which Iron Ore exported  ( within India)
January, 20	11,09,586	China
	1,19,929		Mumbai
	53,000		New Mangalore
Feb.20	9,62,169	China
	52,300	Jintang
	52,500		Gangavaran
	3,33,153		Mumbai
	53,279		New Mangalore
March,20	13,51,584	China
	19,750	QINGDAO
	1,11,545		Mumbai
April,20	8,69,960	China
	53,800	Jhanjhiang
	55,200	Jingtang
May,20	12,56,400	China
	59,316	QINGDAO
June,20	16,06,215	China
	1,04,950		Mumbai
July,20	12,04,295	China
	1,53,160		Mumbai
August, 20	14,60,550	China
	42000	Shanghai
	50,795	TIANJIN
	1,17,509		Mumbai
Sept.20	19,03,851	China
	22,330	Shanghai
	1,09,547	TIANJIN
	1,71,871		Mumbai
October,20	13,06,692	China
	27,670	SHANGHAI
	19,100	TIANJIN
	2,62,361		Mumbai
Nov.,20	13,00,790	China
	35,100	TIANJIN
	1,74,558		Mumbai
Dec.20	8,39,638	China
	20,000	TIANJIN
	3,81,230		Mumbai
Total	1,78,27,683	1,57,37,638

Collection of Royalty on Iron Ore from January to December,20

(Information provided by Directorate of Mines  on 24.2.21)

Month	Collection ( In Crore)
January, 20	639.04
February,20	611.95
March,20	373.08
April,20	220.02
May,20	257.36
June, 20	429.55
July,20	522.21
August,20	531.89
September,20	536.47
October,20	539.24
November,20	452.91
December,20	549.96
Total	5663.68

Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date- 6.5.21

Establishment of Odia University in Puri restricted to only Acquisition of Land

 

Establishment of  Odia University in Puri   restricted  to  only  Acquisition of  Land  since 3 years.

 Dear  friends

On the eve  of General Election -2019  and  as a strategy  to counter  Bhasa Andolan , ( a  Campaign  exposing   anti-Odia  Character  of  Nabin Patnaik  and how  Odia   language  is undermined  and ignored  by  Odisha  bureaucracy and  demand  for  introduction of  Odia language  in every  sphere  of administration and  penal provision for  violation of  the Odia Language Act ) , Chief  Minister  declared  establishment  of  Odia  University  in Satyabadi  of Puri  district  in 2018.  All the paid  news  papers  gave  wide coverage  of the news  about  declaration of CM  for  Odia  University.

As  part  of our  campaign  to monitor  “what  Chief Minister  Say  and What  really  happens ?”, RTI  Application  was  filed   in the  Department  of  Higher  Education  to  find out  what  really  happened  to Odia  University .  The  information sought  for  is  as follows.

i. Provide head-wise  details of  expenses  made  so far  against  the sanctioned amount for  establishment  of Odia University .

ii. Provide  name of the agency entrusted  to execute  the project  and copy of agreement signed

iii. Provide  copy  of letter of sanctioned amount  made  for    infrastructure development of Odia University.

 

On 28.4,.21, the  PIO  has  provided  the  following  information .

1.                                                                                                                             ( In  lakhs )

Financial Year	Total amount  Sanctioned	Expenditure  incurred
2018-19	Rs. 500	NIL
2019-20	1200	1133.58
2020-21	1500	NIL

2.     No  construction of the  Building has started   so far.

3.     The  Govt. has  purchased   only  land measuring  Ac 9.60   from Endowment Trust Board  of Sri Sri Satyabadi Gopinath Dev , Satyabadi   with  payment of Rs. 11,33,58,000.00  

4.     No tender  has been  invited  by  Govt. for  construction of infrastructure  of the  University.

Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date-1.5.21

Lessons from Maoist abduction of Malkangiri Collector

 

Lessons from Maoist abduction of Malkangiri Collector

(Download Oriya article- http://www.box.net/shared/jh6niip3bc)

 The latest episode of abduction and release of District Collector Malkangiri by the Maoists has the potential to trigger off a paradigm shift in the Orissa’s system of governance, should both Government and civil society imbibe and internalize its cardinal lessons. It won’t be an exaggeration to look upon the Malkangiri episode as a miniature replay of a grand historical event that took place 75 years back involving the ideological parent of Maoists themselves Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976). It was on 12^th Dec 1936 that one Zhang, a Military Commander under Kuomintang army, out of his patriotic zeal had abducted his leader Chiang Kai-shek (1887- 1975), then the formal head of China and produced him before Mao-led Communist Party to decide his fate in view of his vacillation in fight against Japanese occupation. Though Chiang as the head of Chinese State had declared a formal war against Japanese imperialism, he was more active in fighting his ideological adversary the Communist Party than in fighting the Japanese. Such a dubious policy of Chiang had led to an overall weakening of the anti-Japanese patriotic war across China. Chiang was confined for 13 days in the custody of the Communist Party, which could have executed him for his sworn enmity against the Communists. But not only the Communist Party treated him with dignity, but also made him the Generalissimo of the united anti-Japanse struggle by both Kuomintang and Communists.

 Back home what the abducted District Collector confessed on his release from the 8day long Maoist confinement is worth perusing. He was treated with dignity, shared the food that Maoists took and didn’t suffer any illness during his stay among the Maoists. As the video footage revealed, he was given the opportunity of defending his case in the People’s Court organized by the Maoists to decide his fate. Further summing up his experience about the Maoists he said that Maoists wanted to make him a rallying point for flashing their message across the society. Though he didn’t elaborate on what that message could be, it is now upto the Government and civil society at large to decipher what it is.

 The message is loud and clear from the charter of 14 demands that the mediators representing the Maoist side could impress upon the Government for acceptance at policy level. Except a single demand i.e. release of 7 imprisoned Maoist leaders, the rest were concerned with the long persisting issues of public interest, which the civil society has been agitating for over years. To recount some important ones from the said charter- release of about 700 innocent tribals booked during the anti-Maoist operations, compensation to the families of those prisoners who were tortured and killed by the police, release of the imprisoned members of Chasi Mulia Sangh of Narayanpatna, cessation of anti-Maoist Green Hunt Operation, restoration of tribal land illegally transferred to non-tribal persons, cancellation of MoUs with foreign companies involving land acquisition, immediate cessation of bauxite mining in Mali and Deomali hills, construction of an irrigation canal in Kalimela area, compensation and rehabilitation of left-out displacees of Balimela and Nalco Projects, accord of ST status to Konda Reddy community and cancellation of Polavaram Project. Except the last demand around which the Government of Orissa is at one with the Maoists, the rest of the demands used to be ignored by the Government over the years.

 The question arises, how is it that the Government immediately nodded in favour of the above long standing demands simply as a swap for the release of a District Collector? As a matter of fact, this is to do with the typical culture of bureaucracy that has taken deep roots in our system of governance in the post-independence period. When an individual writes a letter mentioning his/her grievances or a forum presents a Memorandum on their charter of demands, the administration hardly bothers about it. When the people visit the public offices in pursuit of their pending works, they are treated with indifference, and even with scorn and misbehaviour on some occasions. However, when they hold a rasta-roka or burn the offices and vehicles or beat the officers, the slumbering system suddenly responds to them, and quite often favourably. This accumulated experience of the people about such peculiar dynamics of the system has led them over the years to resort to all sorts of violent agitations to achieve any demand, be it for the recovery of tribal from the non-tribal occupiers or for the cancellation of the license for a liquor shop, or for the rehabilitation of the displaced people or even for the construction of a road or bridge in a village area. Read in this light the act of abduction of the District Collector by the Maoists to highlight their demands was merely an extension of the very strategy which the common people have been adopting to press for this or that demand. There is only a difference in degree, but not that of quality between the acts of the common people and that of the Maoists in respect of a strategy to achieve their respective demands.

 It is therefore very much possible that if the present system of administration is so reformed as to readily and properly respond to every grievance of the people, as it happens in mature democracies in the west and USA, then not only the Maoists who avowedly subscribe to the force as the agent of change but also the people at large who seem to be acculturated to the histrionic violence as the means of achieving their ends shall undergo a transformation which is overdue. This is perhaps the cardinal message that the latest episode of Maoist abduction of Malkangiri Collector holds forth before all of us.

 Chitta Behera

27^th Feb 2011