Koraput: The Board of Trustees of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), Koraput, in its meeting on Sunday finalised the action plan for financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26, approving projects worth about Rs 100 crore with a focus on effective implementation and saturation of core development areas.Official sources said the plan prioritises clean drinking water, healthcare, primary education and sustainable livelihoods, with special emphasis on villages directly affected by mining activities.Collector (Koraput) Manoj Satyawan Mahajan said the roadmap was shaped through a rigorous two-year consultative process. More than Rs 600 crore worth of proposals from across the district were examined in three rounds for technical feasibility and impact, followed by scrutiny by the Board of Trustees to align projects with district-wide goals, he said.A key feature of the plan is the saturation model, under which high-priority zones will be comprehensively covered across essential sectors instead of through scattered interventions. “Our aim is not just to create assets, but to ensure every core area is fully equipped with basic infrastructure and services,” the collector said.Decentralised decision-making remains central to the approach. All projects were vetted and approved by gram sabhas after ground-level verification to ensure local needs guide spending. “By moving from general planning to ground verification, we are ensuring that every rupee of DMF translates into real improvements in quality of life,” Mahajan added.A major share of the funds has been earmarked for communities directly impacted by mining, focusing on sustainable livelihoods, health facilities, drinking water schemes and school infrastructure. “The district has also put in place a strict monitoring framework to track timelines and quality. We will ensure timely completion and accountability so that the benefits reach the last mile,” the collector said.While the district received Rs 84 crore from the DMF in 2024-25, it received Rs 94 crore in 2025-26. Apart from senior district officials, Koraput MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka and the MLAs of Koraput, Laxmipur and Pottangi attended the meeting.
