Bhubaneswar, Jan 21: Odisha government is considering a policy to bring the unorganised gemstone mining sector in the State under government regulation in a bid to earn Rs 50-60 crore revenue per annum.
State’s Steel and Mines minister Prafulla Mallick said on Wednesday, “We have gemstone deposits in Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts. In the absence of a policy to regulate the sector, we are not getting any revenue from the deposits.”
The minister said to tap the sector, the State government is mulling a revised policy and the draft will be ready by this March.
“We are aiming revenue worth Rs 50-60 crore a year from lease of these deposits,” Mallick said adding gemstone can be a good source of income for currency as they have high global demand.
