Ranchi: Despite having 40% of the country’s mineral reserves, Jharkhand has fallen behind in mining revenue, production and employment generation due to policy failures, administrative inefficiency and lack of transparency, leader of opposition Babulal Marandi claimed on Thursday.Addressing media after his visit to the Saranda in West Singhbhum district, Marandi claimed several mines remained closed for several years as the state govt failed to renew their leases or put them up for auction on time. “The shutdown had adversely impacted jobs, triggered migration and weakened the local economy,” he said.Drawing a comparison with neighbouring Odisha, the former CM said, “Jamda market in Chaibasa, once a bustling economic hub, was facing a downturn while Barbil, around 20 km away in Odisha, continued to witness growth due to timely mine auctions and increased production.”Marandi further said 434 mineral blocks were auctioned across the country between 2019-20 and 2024-25. Of them, only three were in Jharkhand compared to 45 in Odisha and 41 in Chhattisgarh, he said. Marandi further said Odisha’s iron ore production rose from 120 million tonnes (MT) to 180 MT during the period, while Jharkhand’s output remained stagnant at around 23 MT.The BJP functionary alleged irregularities in the utilisation of District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) funds. He said, “Nearly Rs 3,700 crore was collected in West Singhbhum between 2016 and 2026, but details of projects, budgets and annual reports were not publicly available. Jharkhand’s mineral wealth should directly benefit local communities lacking basic amenities.”Congress, in a statement, accused that BJP’s governance model has always been of looting resources and duping poor.Party spokesperson Akhtar Ali said, “Why is that Marandi wants to hand over Jharkhand’s forests to corporates as it is happening in Odisha and Chhattisgarh by displacing scores of tribals. BJP’s model is based on indiscriminate mining and corporate exploitation, whereas the Hemant govt’s model is of sustainable development.“
