Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to provide sand free of cost to the beneficiaries of PM Awas Yojana and other government housing schemes for the construction of pucca houses.
Revealing this information on Sunday, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari said that the state government will bear the cost of sand for the beneficiaries of these schemes to enable them to construct houses smoothly.
Meanwhile, the state government has also implemented a maximum selling price (MSP) for sand to control prices and curb sand mafia activities.
Sand ghat leaseholders will sell sand at government-fixed prices, and those selling at higher rates will face action, warns Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena.
The Odisha Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016 amendment aims to prevent sand theft and crack down on sand mafia. Key changes include leasing sand ghats through e-lottery instead of e-auction, addressing allegations of sand mafias storing and selling sand at inflated prices.
The reform is expected to significantly boost transparency, regulate prices, and curb illegal extraction and storage.
The introduction of MSP aims to dismantle the long-standing exploitation by the sand mafia, who have been accused of inflating prices and manipulating supply chains. With the new regulation in place, sand will now be available at uniform, government-approved rates, making it more affordable for consumers.
The Minister informed that the decision stemmed from Friday’s Cabinet meeting, where the state government also abolished the auction system for minor minerals. Instead, all minor mineral sources will now be allotted through a transparent e-lottery process.
Further strengthening its crackdown on illegal stockpiling, the government will also begin issuing storage licences for sand. No individual or entity will be allowed to store sand or other minor minerals without such a licence, a move aimed at shutting down unauthorized stockyards that have been driving black marketing, the Minister said.
