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AT News Report-KABUL: The mining revenue has been jumped into eye-catching profits as it reached over seven billion Afghanis in 2017 from 2016’s 271 million, officials informed on Saturday.
While briefing newsmen, acting Mines and Petroleum Minister (MoMP), Nargis Nehan said her ministry collected its revenues from contracts with companies, enterprises and exploitation of small natural reservoirs.
“Revenue collected from enterprises in 2017 was over 4.5 billion Afghanis, from big contracts over 2.2 billion Afghanis, and from small mines 461 million Afghanis,” she added.
The revenue collected from three sources doubled in 2017 compared to 2016 returns, she said, adding the ministry income stood at 271 million Afghanis in 2016.
The difference between 2017 and 2016 revenue was three billion Afghanis — a huge increase and a testimony of reforms and performance of the employees of the ministry, she said.
Nehan said illegal mining and denial of taxes by some companies prevented a large amount of revenue from reaching the ministry.
She said a list of individuals involved in illegal demining had been prepared and would be presented in the next meeting of the council of ministers.
Indeed it is a great step, but at the same time militant outfits are engaged in extraction of illegal mine in different parts of Afghanistan. Recently, it was reported that the Taliban insurgents kicked off digging gold in Maqur district of southern Ghazni province with help of outsiders. The resident claimed that Taliban with help of Pakistani engineers are extracting gold.
