Jaipur: The District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT), created to improve infrastructure, healthcare, and welfare in Rajasthan’s mining-hit regions, has given most of its funds to public works department (PWD) for road development projects. According to official data, a total of Rs 8,554.73 crore has been sanctioned by DMFT for 20,429 projects, with Rs 5,484.21 crore spent by June 30, 2025. The PWD has been sanctioned Rs 3,319.8 crore of these, for executing 3,237 projects, of which Rs 2,037.97 crore has already been spent.In terms of number of projects, the education department leads with 5,009 projects financed, including the construction of classrooms, boundary walls, toilets, and drinking water facilities in schools. Of the Rs 1,004.17 crore sanctioned, Rs 534.19 crore has been utilised so far.Healthcare initiatives—ranging from silicosis assistance to upgrading sub-health centres—received Rs 775.69 crore, with Rs 571.18 crore utilised, an official said.Other allocations include drinking water schemes of public health engineering department (Rs 875.87 crore sanctioned; Rs 532.87 crore spent) and rural development under panchayati raj dept (Rs 491.67 crore sanctioned; Rs 202.68 crore spent). The forest department has utilised Rs 61.26 crore out of Rs 116.04 crore for plantation in degraded mining areas, while the women and child development department has spent Rs 33.89 crore out of Rs 44.29 crore on anganwadi centres.“Transfers to the State Mineral Fund and other departments account for Rs 1,535.80 crore in approvals, with Rs 1,382.99 crore already spent,” says the official document.An official said, “Rajasthan District Mineral Foundation Trust Rules, 2016, were enacted by the state govt under powers conferred by the MMDR Act, 1957. The trust is constituted for each district, with decisions made by the governing council, where a majority vote is required. Day-to-day management is carried out by a committee, and the governing council is responsible for approving the trust’s annual action plan, budget, and projects.“The rules say DMF should prioritise high-impact areas for funding, especially those hit by mining operations. “The management of fund requires maintaining proper books of accounts, and annual audits are conducted by qualified auditors. Audits were conducted by chartered accountants and the Accountant General from 2016-17 to 2022-23,” the official added.
