Category: Mining

Goa passes resolution to urge Centre to amend mining Act

The Goa Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution to allow the state government to urge the Centre to amend a central legislation governing the mining sector, allowing the state to bypass a Supreme Court order that had banned mining since February. A total of 88 mining lease stand revoked due to the order, with the entire mining sector shut down in Goa. “It’s not as if other states are not suffering from the SC’s order. If courts start to decide the economic trajectory, there is no guarantee where the country’s economy will go, which is why Parliament is supreme and why Parliament should make laws when necessary,” Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said in the Assembly, urging the Opposition to take a joint decision in favour of the livelihood of the mining-affected families and the continuing loss to the exchequer. Read more

Courtesy: The Indian Express

Goa plans to revive Portuguese era legislation in bid to resume mining

Goa government is planning to revive a provisions of the Portuguese era mining legislation which granted concessions for an indefinite period in a bid to restore mining in the state stalled by the Supreme Court. A resolution to be effect is likely to be passed in the Goa assembly on Friday.

Goa’s mining leases were granted as concessions in perpetuity by the colonial Portuguese government beginning in the 1930s. Twenty six years after Goa became part of India, the Central government through the Goa Daman and Diu (Abolition of Concession and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987, converted all mining concessions with effect from 1961, when Goa became part of India, into mining leases which expired in 2007. Read more

Courtesy: hindustan times

Chhattisgarh discovers limestone reserves with 500 million tonnes capacity

Limestone reserves with an estimated capacity of 500 million tonnes (mt) have been discovered in the mineral-rich Chhattisgarh state.

The new deposits of cement-making raw material have been found in five district of Chhattisgarh namely Raipur, Balodabazar, Jabjgir-Champa, Raigarh and Bastar. The mines were discovered during exploration carried out by state’s geology and mining directorate in 2017-18.

Directorate of Geology and Mining, Chhattisgarh in engaged for prospecting of limestone for last many years. Subsequently, a large number of suitable sites for establishment of cement plant of various magnitudes have been identified in the state. Read more

Courtesy: Business Standard

Since mining and environmental degradation can now be monitored 24×7 via satellite, clearances should now be faster

The government’s decision to set up a task-force headed by the Cabinet Secretary to see how import-substitution can be increased has, not surprisingly, been criticised by former NITI Aayog deputy chairman Arvind Panagariya. Since a liberal trade regime results in cheaper imports and more competitive exports, he argues, any move that seeks to make imports costlier—as an import-substitution regime usually does—should be avoided. Indeed, as he points out, India’s import-substitution phase after Independence resulted in high import tariffs which, in turn, led to Indian industry becoming high-cost and uncompetitive. In such a situation, unlike in the case of other countries, India could never look at exports as a viable growth strategy. Panagariya argues that, instead of looking at an import-substitution strategy, India would do better to have a viable export-led strategy, and concentrate on removing whatever bottlenecks there are—labour laws, high-cost infrastructure, etc—to ensure this happens. Read more

Courtesy: Financial Express

MLAs want mining operations resumed

Porvorim: Members of the state assembly were unanimous that mining operations had to resume at the earliest but differed on an appropriate solution the state government could adopt to restart iron ore mining.

MLAs across party lines pointed out that illegal mining activity and the closure of mining operations had affected the state’s environment and economy respectively.

While legislators said the closure of mining activity had put mining-dependant families under financial stress, they also said any attempt to restart mining operations which is beyond the purview of the Supreme Court’s judgment could have legal ramifications.

“Start mining but start mining within the parameters of law. Don’t throw the Supreme Court report into the dust,” former chief minister and Congress MLA Luizinho Faleiro said. Read more

Courtesy: The Times of India

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