What Exactly is this Thorium Scam? A mammoth Thorium scam, which has swindled the national exchequer of Rs 48 Lakh Crore is supposed to have been unearthed by RTI activists and the Statesman Newspaper. Sources state that the missing thorium, estimated at $100 a tonne will make all other scams the UPA has embroiled itself in, seem very dwarf-like. It has been stated that 2.1 million tones of monazite, which is equivalent to 195,300 tonnes of thorium at 9.3% recovery, has disappeared from Indian shores after 2004, the year Manmohan Singh became India’s Prime Minister. On 30 November, 2011, an RTI activist, Kodikunnel Suresh sought the Prime Minister’s response regarding the export of monazite, whether companies of mining beach sand have violated the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board rules. To this, V Narayanaswamy, Minister of State, PMO, said that beach sands with heavy minerals were exported. But monazite was excluded from this. Narayanaswamy stated that licence under the Atomic Energy Act was necessary for monazite and thorium export. However, being prescribed substances, no licence was given for its export. The Prime Minister, who heads the Department of Atomic Energy, delisted these heavy minerals from the prescribed substances list vide SO 61 (E) dated 20 January, 2006. This was done to facilitate their export by private companies, with licences being granted with the proviso that “having undertaken to comply with the conditions prescribed in the Atomic Energy (Working of mines, minerals hand handling of prescribed substances) Rules, 1984, licence is issued with the approval of the Licensing Authority.” Reports state that radioactive minerals, vital for nuclear energy programme, are taken out of the country without any restriction, inspite of the Indian Rare Earths being the only organization being authorized to extract thorium from monazite sands. To add to this, private exporters of prohibited minerals are also presented with Special Awards and Certificates of Merit by Chemicals and Allied Products Export Promotion Council of the Government of India. As stated before, Indian Rare Earths Limited is the only authorized body that can extract Thorium because indiscriminate and non-monitored mining can cause severe erosion in coastal areas. The Chief Controller of Mines, which comes under Union Ministry of Mines is the Licencing Authority. However, following the retirement of CP Ambrose, Chief Controller of Mines, on 30 June 2008, the post is being kept open deliberately. It is also stated by sources that Ranjan Sahai, Controller of Mines of the Central Zone, is now allowed to officiate in place of the Chief Controller. He is alleged to be close to mineral industrialists of the private placer.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 05:46:15 +0000
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