Rs13cr mineral fund okayed for green gyms flouting rules

Nagpur: At a time when a large number of villages affected by mining are without proper medical and self-employment facilities, the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) has approved Rs13 crore for setting up 200 green gyms though there is no provision in rules for such an expenditure.
On the other hand, demand for group health insurance for people from mining-affected villages has been ignored even though the central and state governments have made this specific provision in the rules.
General body of the zilla parishad (ZP), in a meeting held a couple of days ago, approved work order of Rs13 crore to M/s Friends Sport for setting up green gyms at 200 places in 11 tehsils in the district — Nagpur rural, Ramtek, Kamptee, Umred, Kuhi, Bhivapur, Mauda, Saoner, Parsheoni, Narkhed and Kalmeshwar.
According to sources, in a meeting held on July 11, 2022, the DMF headed by collector had approved mineral funds for this work and given the responsibility of execution to the ZP. Accordingly, the ZP has completed the tender process and is set to issue work order.
As per rules framed by the central government’s ministry of mines on September 16, 2015, and subsequently by the state government on September 1, 2016, there is no provision to spend mineral fund on green gyms. The rules specifically list the works which can be carried out using the mineral fund.
Infectious diseases specialist and physician Dr Nitin Shinde told TOI, “Spending Rs13 crore, as decided by the DMF, a 50-bed hospital or many respiratory clinics can be started in the mining-affected villages, which are needed.”
Dr Shinde countered the ZP terming the green gyms as sport facilities in the tender document by saying that these are only a group of devices which assist in modest muscle stretching/exercise. It is not a healthcare facility.
Moreover, there is also no provision for spending mineral fund on sport facilities.
Collector Dr Vipin Itankar said, “This work was approved even before I had joined. Mineral fund can be spent on healthcare and welfare of aged and disabled. Green gyms come under both these categories.”
Former vice-chairman of Ramtek Panchayat Samiti Udaysingh ‘Gajju’ Yadav termed it as a scam. “Many villages are affected by mining activities and crying for basic amenities. I had sent a letter on June 12 last year to DMF, Union minister Nitin Gadkari and MLC Chandrashekhar Bawankule requesting for group health insurance cover for people residing in all mining-affected villages in Ramtek, Parsheoni and Mauda tehsils. There is specific provision for this in the rules.”
“Taking cognisance of the letter, office of Bawankule and Gadkari had directed collector on June 12, 2022, and June 27, 2022, respectively, to do the needful. Despite this, Rs13 crore funds were approved for green gyms, but not a single penny for health insurance cover,” he said.
Yadav also said he had conducted a survey and identified works required in the mining-affected villages and submitted it to the DMF on June 18, 2022, but nothing happened. “Politicians and officials are considering only the works in which they get more commission. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis is our guardian minister and Itankar is collector. Both should scrap this work and ensure the mineral fund’s proper utilization,” he said.
ZP member Dudharam Savvalakhe said, “Work order should not be issued as no discussion was held on this in the meeting. Officials should table the work in next meeting for discussion.”
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation and district sports office had set up a large number of green gyms across the city and many are lying abandoned.