New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Emphasising the need to strike a balance between environmental concerns and economic growth, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday said stopping mining projects would not solve the problems of displaced people.
‘The answer does not lie in banning mining activities. The answer lies in providing adequate compensation and alternative source of livelihood,’ Mukherjee said at the Third Coal Summit here.
The finance minister said the government would soon come out with a proper solution to the issue which is crucially important for economic and social development.
‘We are addressing the issue. The real problem is, in what form we can compensate the displaced people and make them beneficiary of economic development,’ Mukherjee added.
A 10-member group of ministers, headed by Finance Minister Mukherjee, recommended last week that 26 percent of the profit from mining activities should be invested on the development of displaced people and affected area.
