Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through the letter, he has demanded the payment of ₹1.36 lakh crore owed by coal companies operating in Jharkhand to the state.
In the letter, CM Hemant Soren stated that the people of Jharkhand have struggled long for their state, and now they want the proper utilization of their resources and rights. He added, “If we demand the rights of Jharkhandis, we are put in jail, but we are ready to make every sacrifice for our rights.”
Hemant Soren presented two options to Prime Minister Modi for the payment of the outstanding amount. First, until the dues are paid in installments, Coal India and its subsidiaries should start paying interest on the amount. Second, Jharkhand should be directly debited from the funds in Coal India’s account with the Reserve Bank of India, as was done in the case of the outstanding dues between the Jharkhand State Electricity Board and DVC.
Hemant Soren mentioned that coal companies operating in Jharkhand owe ₹1,36,042 crore to the state as of March 2022. In March 2022, the Chief Minister had also written to the central government requesting the payment of outstanding dues from coal companies.