In 2012, mining leases in Goa had expired and mining activities halted. The Supreme Court had declared all mining, from 22-Nov-2007 illegal. Goa had a clean slate! A fresh start could be made in all aspects of mining and mining controls. Now the question is where to begin?
Author: Goenchi Mati
Universal Basic Share?
There is a growing movement away from a tax financed basic income towards a capital / economic share based basic income. The obvious reason is framing. Income flowing from capital or a share of the economy is based on ownership, not human rights. Yanis Varoufakis has an interesting structure for consideration. Brishen Rogers writes about how Basic Income is only a part of …
The Great Goan Mining Heist: Implications of the 2014 Supreme Court Judgement Ruling
Over the last ten years mining losses have been variously reported and unsubstantiated estimates touted. In among all of this, one thing is certain: the trend is consistently upwards. Amounts have been quoted from Rs. 3,500 crores due to non-payment of royalty (PAC Report) to Rs. 35,000 crores due to mining outside lease areas (Shah Commission). However the latest official …
Ore Chor 144 – Goenchi Mati Video
View Below | Download Video: Short 4min, Long 23min
Since our inception in 2014, the Goenchi Mati Movement has been fighting for ownership and safeguarding of Goa’s mineral assets for the Goan public. We are proud to launch our first video explaining what our movement is about.
Under the Constitution, the minerals of Goa belong to the people and the state government is merely a trustee of the minerals for the people and especially future generations. After the landmark Supreme Court judgement in the Goa mining case, all mining during 2007-2012 was declared illegal and during this period the people of Goa lost more than Rs. 65,000 crores from minerals.
In end 2014 – early 2015, the Goa government renewed 88 mining leases from which the people of Goa stand to lose an additional estimated Rs. 79,000 crores from minerals due to the balance period of the renewed leases.
Adding these amounts, we come to a staggering figure of Rs. 1,44,000 crores (OreChor144). This is the loss to the Goan public and Goan communities (nearly Rs.10 lakhs a person) from the renewal of the leases. More importantly, our children and future generations have lost Rs. 1,44,000 crores forever. What explanation can we give?
The Goenchi Mati Movement is fighting to stop this loot and recoup this massive loss for our future generations. We urge whichever Government is elected in 2017 to immediately cancel the leases and reframe a fair and just mining policy for the people of Goa. We request the Public to join our campaign, fight for what is rightfully theirs and urge them to vote for those politicians that will change the system.
Mining in Goa: Where did it all go wrong?
Mining in Goa: The effects on our land, our waterways, our health and our economic futures Aside from our mineral assets being taken without our consent and redistributed to the wealthy few, what else went wrong with mining in Goa?
Why a Citizen’s Dividend? Why only a Citizen’s Dividend?
We are often asked why we recommend only a Permanent Fund for investment / saving, and only a Citizen’s Dividend for distribution of income. Why not hand the money to the government, there are so many urgent needs? In an earlier post, we discussed why we insist that every paisa received from mining and minerals be deposited into the Permanent Fund.
Louisiana votes to create a natural resource fund
The US state of Louisiana will be voting on a number of proposed Constitutional amendments on Nov 8. Proposed amendment #5 is for the establishment of a Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, essentially a Permanent Fund to deal with the volatility of inflows from oil & gas. Of course, if government accounting were to treat money from minerals as capital, not …
Goa’s Inglorious Past: The Great Mining Swindle
Zero loss mining and intergenerational equity A loss amounting to twice the cumulative state revenues was uncovered following an investigation into mining activities by Goa Foundation. This money represents the value of minerals mined and exported during the period 2004 to 2012 from Goa. The amount represents a Rs. 3.7 Lakhs loss of mineral assets for each and every Goan; …
The shocking truth about the theft of Goa’s mineral wealth
The five principles of the Goenchi Mati Movement What would you say if you were told that each and every member of your family had been unceremoniously and consistently robbed over an eight-year period to the tune of Rupees 3.7 Lakhs? A theft of inherited wealth, passed down through the generations, now almost beyond recovery and the perpetrators yet to …
Government accounting & the Resource Curse
A simple change that will save countless lives In most sovereign nations, sub-soil minerals are owned by the state. The minerals are a part of the “commons” – assets owned ultimately by the citizens. The problem we face is that the standards set for IMF, UN & IPSASB (International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board) standards for government accounting, statistics and disclosure treat receipts from …