(a) the number of small scale mines operating in the country at present, State-wise;
(b) the contribution of such small scale mines to National Mineral Output of the country;
(c) the extent to which such small scale mines provide employment to the local inhabitants in various States; and
(d) the manner in which the Government proposes to control the poor environmental management and safety conditions rendered by such mining?
THE MINISTER OF MINES (SHRI SIS RAM OLA)
(a) to (c) : As per Mineral Conservation and Development Rules,1988, mines are grouped as either Category `A` or Category `B` mines. Category `A` mines are such mines where operations are fully mechanized or where the number of average employment exceeds one hundred and fifty in all or seventy-five in workings below ground, or a mine where any of the mining operations is carried out with the help of heavy machinery. All other mines not coming under this definition are categorized as Category `B` mines. Category `B` mines contributed 18% to the total value of mineral production of non fuel, non atomic major minerals in 2005-06 and state-wise details of reporting category `B` mines and average daily employment are given below:
State Number of reporting mines Average daily employment
Andhra Pradesh 305 4762 Assam 2 79 Bihar 6 68 Chhattisgarh 61 2273 Goa 19 925 Gujarat 387 7488 Haryana 1 3 Himachal Pradesh 25 429 Jammu & Kashmir 3 89 Jharkhand 109 2613 Karnataka 196 3932 Kerala 31 643 Madhya Pradesh 231 3994 Maharashtra 76 1579 Meghalaya 4 253 Orissa 137 8754 Rajasthan 228 2896 Sikkim 1 29 Tamil Nadu 149 2485 Uttar Pradesh 18 753 Uttarakhand 30 1059 West Bengal 9 258
Total 2028 45364