Amendment in Mining Act: A step towards building self-reliant India
The Union Minister of Mines stated in one of his tweets that “With the Parliament passing Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021, a stage is set for big-bang reforms in the mining sector. These reforms will make mineral mining sustainable and drive economic activities in the country�. This is major step in self reliant India, as the mineral sector contributes only 1.75% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), with India importing minerals worth Rs 2.5 trillion annually, whereas for countries like Australia and South Africa, it is contributing 7%. This comes against the backdrop of National Mineral Policy goals to increase mineral production by 200% in seven years.
Using 13 pointed data points in this guest article, Bhanu Prakash Bhatnagar, Head of Mining at Adani Cementation analyses those amendments and spotlights their salient features.