Jharia coal mine fire fighting plan gets Rs 5,940 crore update

NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday approved an outlay of Rs 5,940 crore for a revised master plan with greater emphasis on sustainable livelihood generation for families affected by the underground fire raging in the coal mines of Jharia in Jharkhand.


The revised plan, called the Jharia Master Plan, makes a provision for a livelihood grant of Rs 1 lakh and access to credit support of up to Rs 3 lakh through an institutional credit pipeline. These will be available to both legal title holder families and non-legal title holder families.


The Jharia Master Plan, focused on fire control and rehabilitation, was first approved by the Centre in 2009 with a total cost of Rs 7,112 crore and a 10-year implementation period. That plan expired in 2020.


As part of the livelihood support measures in the revised plan, a dedicated Jharia Alternative Livelihoods Rehabilitation Fund will be set up for promoting livelihood-related activities. Skill development initiatives will also be carried out in collaboration with multi skill development institutes operating in the region.


In addition, the plan envisages building infrastructure and essential amenities such as roads, electricity, water supply, sewerage, schools, hospitals, skill development centres, community halls, and other common facilities at the resettlement sites, the government said.