Odisha wants CoalMin to transfer Rs 566 cr additional levy

Odisha has made a plea to the Coal Ministry to transfer an additional levy of Rs 566 crore that the government received from Hindalco, the previous owner of Talabira mine, to the state, Parliament was told today.
"The Government of Odisha has requested the Ministry of Coal to transfer additional levy to the Government of Odisha received from Hindalco Industries Ltd, prior allottee of Talabira coal block, amounting to Rs 566.01 crore," Coal and Power Minister said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Owners of operational coal blocks, which were cancelled by the Supreme Court, will have to shell out nearly Rs 10,500 crore as additional levy, Goyal had said in the Rajya Sabha in December 2014.

The Supreme Court had, in September last year, declared allocations of all coal blocks made through the Screening Committee and the government dispensation route since 1993 as illegal and arbitrary. Of the 218 blocks, it had cancelled allocations of 204.
In the case of 42 coal blocks (37 producing and five likely to come under production), cancellation came into effect from March 31, 2015. The court had also imposed an additional levy of Rs 295 per tonne on the total coal extracted since the commencement of the production from the coal mine to be deposited with the government.