Kishore met the Union finance minister and urged her to pay the outstanding coal royalty of ₹1.36 lakh crore as well as the remaining amount of ₹12,152.46 crore of the annual assistance aid for the state
TI/GBT: Jharkhand finance minister Radhakrishna Kishore on Friday raised the issue of outstanding coal PSU dues in his meeting with Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi.
Kishore met the Union finance minister and urged her to pay the outstanding coal royalty of ₹1.36 lakh crore as well as the remaining amount of ₹12,152.46 crore of the annual assistance aid for the state.
Later in the day, Kishore also met Union coal minister G. Kishan Reddy and informed him that Jharkhand was striving for social and economic progress by increasing its internal sources of income.
He stressed that financial support from the Centre was necessary for the proper development of the state. Therefore, Jharkhand’s outstanding amount of ₹1.36 lakh crore should be disbursed, he said.
“Reddy called the additional secretary of the ministry, Smita Pradhan, and directed to form a team, comprising Union coal ministry officials and Jharkhand mines department officials, so that the actual outstanding amount can be calculated,” said Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha.
“After the calculation, the outstanding amount can be paid to Jharkhand in the form of coal excavation. The coal minister has assured that the actual outstanding amount will be calculated with practicality and Jharkhand will be paid,” Sinha added.
Chief minister Hemant Soren had already raised the issue with the coal minister during his recent visit to Jharkhand and had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the payment of outstanding coal royalty dues.
