The Balochistan government collected Rs 7.2 billion in revenue from the minerals sector during the last financial year. The government has collected a huge amount from the mining sector and deposited it in the provincial treasury, an official of the Balochis-tan government said. The government has initiated various business-friendly initiatives to boost inves-tors’ confidence and increase investment in the min-erals sector.
Computerized weighing scales have been installed besides increasing mining check posts in the prov-ince and upgrading the royalty system in line with modern technology, he added. The official said that the Department of Mines and Minerals would launch a project of digitization of the royalty system to bring transparency in revenue collection man-agement. The Mines and Minerals department was working on the establishment of a mineral testing laboratory under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode to attract several investors, as the prov-ince lacks testing laboratories despite its rich poten-tial of mineral resources, he added.
He said the automation of the licensing regime, royalty management, and inspection on sites has been initiated with the project “Institutional Strengthening Automation of Royalty Regime in Mining Sector.”
Most modules of the software de-velopment have been completed, and data digitiza-tion has been carried out. The integrated develop-ment of mining sites has been initiated to enhance labour welfare and safety measures, with the provi-sion of scholarships, safety equipment for the in-spectorate of mines, and other measures, he said.
