The Minister of State for Mines and Steel Shri Vishnu Deo Sai informed the Rajya Sabha today in reply to a question that no such instance has come to the notice of Central Government during the last two years in which the States have not taken mandatory approval from the Ministry for allotting mines.
He said, to foster transparency and time bound decision making process, Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act 2015 came into force w.e.f 12th January, 2015 which inter-alia includes following salient features:
i. The grant of mineral concessions for major minerals only through auction by competitive bidding.
ii. The lease period for mining has been enhanced from 30 years to 50 years.
iii. Establishment of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) for the interest and benefit of persons, and areas, affected by mining related operations; and mandating the lease holder to contribute a prescribed percentage of royalty to the DMF
iv. Establishment of National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET)for regional and detailed exploration; and
v. Stricter penalty provisions to deter illegal mining.
YSK
(Release ID :136720)