(a) whether the Union Government has issued any instructions to the State Governments to ban mining in some areas of the country particularly in the forest areas;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the reaction of the State Governments thereto?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINES AND STEEL (SHRI VISHNU DEO SAI)
(a) to (c): Use of forest land for non-forest purpose including for mining requires prior approval of Central Government under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change did not issue instructions to State Governments to completely ban mining in forest areas.
However, in order to provide immediate protection to the Western Ghats and to maintain its environmental integrity, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued directions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 dated 13th November 2013. As per the directions, the five categories of new and / or expansion projects/activides, including the mining quarrying and sand mining, which have maximum interventionist and damaging impacts on ecosystems would not be considered for granting Environmental Clearance in the Ecologically Sensitive Areas, as identified by the High Level Working Group, in the Western Ghats as per stipulations contained in the direction.