Indian authorities "allow" illegal mining on payment of a pittance fine, refuse protection to affected communities

By A Representative
A recent estimate by the mines, minerals & People (mm&P), a national alliance of mining affected communities, has said that every year around 80,000-90,000 cases of illegal mining are reported by governments across India. While the MB Shah commission, which investigated into their operations, assessed that they cost a whopping Rs 60,000 crore to state coffers, the fine realized from them per year is just a pittance, about Rs 11 crore.
This was revealed at a workshop organized by the mm&P in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, followed by another in Aasansol, West Bengal, early this month. Participants at the two workshops predicted, things are likely to get worse with the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957, amended in March 2015.
The amended Act would not make things any better for the local communities, an mm&P note on the two workshops said. The new Act mining by auctioning mines for a period of 50 years. Further, new mining leases would also be given for 50 years, instead of the 20-year period till now. This, according to mm&P, would mean nothing but a “huge loss” of natural resources on which local communities depend.
The impact of this could be seen in Odisha’s eight tribal districts, which have more than 50 per cent tribal population, and another six districts having tribal population between 30 and 50 per cent, the mm&P said. There is complete lack of protection to forests, and the locals are feeling their livelihood options being taken away.
No doubt, it was suggested, a new section, 9b, has been added in the amended Act. It requires every mining affected district to form a District Mineral Foundation (DMF), which is supposed to receive some royalty from mining. Thus, while leases operational before January 12, 2015 would contribute 30 per cent equivalent of royalty and leases issued after January 12, 2015 would contribute 10 per cent equivalent of royalty to the DMF.
Meanwhile, the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojna (PMKKKY), passed in September 2015, has laid down guidelines for work to be undertaken by DMFs. However, all this does not ensure the mining affected communities to regain control over the natural resources surrounding them.
The workshops discussed the examples of the coalmining area of Raniganj, West Bengal, which has been declared a “critically polluted” area by the Central Pollution Control Board. At both the places, local people have faced massive displacement.
In Raniganj, the government floated a Rs 2,160 crore master plan for resettlement and rehabilitation for providing relief to the affected communities. Yet, six years later, work for it has not begun. Demanding its early implementation, participants at the workshops insisted that the government must also think of safeguarding the rights of the local people while allowing mining.
Meanwhile, illegal mining continues at several places, such as in Birbhum district, whose operations have been challenged in the Eastern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Kolkata. Giving example of how illegal mining has affected state revenues, the workshops were told, the Government of West Bengal’s annual coal cess in 2012-13 was Rs 1,380 crore, “but it is nothing close to the value of minerals extracted.”
The workshops demanded that illegal mining should be eliminated completely to safeguard environmental and economic losses. Government is custodian of mineral resources and it is its duty to protect the rights of future generations and it should not tolerate any loss or wish away resources for meagre royalty in comparison to the value of resources.
Among those who participated in the two workshops included Ashok Shrimali, secretary general, mm&P; Ravi Rebbapragda, chairperson of mm&P; members of the executive committee of the mm&P; Shiekh Hakim, General Secretary, Integrated Coal Mines Ltd Shramik Union (ICMLSU); Rup Kumar Sadhu, President, ICMLSU; apart from other senior activists.

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Health Day ads spark row as NAPi targets Britannia campaign, criticizes celebrity endorsement

By A Representative The advocacy group Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) has raised concerns over what it describes as misleading advertising of ultra-processed food products (UPFs), particularly those high in sugar, fat and salt, calling for stricter regulations and an end to such promotions across media platforms.

Search This Blog