RE:Almonte on mining / economics / communityThat did not copy paste properly.
Almonte: the State has the challenge of continuing with mining exploitation and that the communities benefit
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte, revealed on Tuesday that the main challenge facing the Dominican Government is to continue mining and that the communities surrounding these companies receive the benefits produced by these activities.
According to a statement reported today, Almonte assured that in these moments of economic crisis generated by the pandemic, mining activity has been a fundamental axis for the entry of foreign currency into the country.
It was indicated that when interviewed on the local television program, the engineer recognized that there is a problem in mining and that is that many communities surrounding the exploitation areas of these minerals have not been sufficiently paid directly.
He also stated that they work to ensure that these communities benefit directly from the wealth generated by mining.
The minister considered that there should be a different approach in relation to the five percent that is allocated to the construction of works in these areas as a result of the profits of the mining companies.
He also said that they are developing a plan of greater closeness with these communities so that the role that mining exploitation plays in the economic development of the towns is well understood and interpreted.
“Evo Morales did not stop mining in Bolivia, he redirected it, but mining continued; Correa did the same in Ecuador, the Chinese in China. There is not a single government that, due to some ideological sign, has moved away from the exploitation of mineral resources in the subsoil”, the official highlighted.
However, he assured that the Government also has to consider the reactions and positions of the social groups and communities surrounding the mining companies.
Antonio Almonte pointed out that mining exploitation in most countries has a component with fundamentals for and against, but that in any case, dialogue must be the mechanism to find a solution.