Bid to prevent captive mine owners from selling byproducts; make them add value to ore. The Centre has moved to clear any ambiguity that could be misused by captive mine owners to sell iron ore fines in the open market. The move comes after the Jharkhand High Court in February stayed the State from banning exports, but relaxed it later to allow a one-time domestic sale of iron ore fines from the captive mines of Usha Martin and Steel Authority of India (SAIL).

BHUBANESWAR: After opposing establishment of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in its present form, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday demanded modification in certain provisions, proposed in the MMDR (Mines and Mineral- Development and Regulation) Bill, 2011, on the ground that these would infringe on the rights of state governments. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Chief Minister said the proposed Bill makes an attempt to transfer certain powers and functions, now being exercised by states, to the Central Government.

Following the Supreme Court warning that the first-come-first-serve system for granting mineral concessions may be misused “by unscrupulous people,” the mines ministry has sought legal opinion on how to treat the applications, which are being currently processed. It has sought the law ministry’s views on whether to process them on the first-come-first-serve mechanism or to introduce any other system.

The Union Cabinet, on Thursday, would take a call on coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal’s proposal to switch over to an ad valorem regime of royalty for coal and lignite. Jaiswal has proposed to levy an ad valorem rate of 14 per cent for coal and 6 per cent for lignite. This changeover is expected to enrich the treasuries of the coal-bearing states by over Rs 1,000 crore even as it could lead to higher electricity prices.

Tribal displacement, without rehabilitation, has led to growth of Naxalism: Tribal ministry

KOZHIKODE (Kerala), 6 APRIL: Expressing opposition to the mineral mining policies of the Centre which had led to the “loot and plunder” of countrys natural resources, the CPI-M today asked government to ensure that mining was undertaken only by public sector or state-owned enterprises after securing prior consent from Gram Sabhas of communities who used the lands.

ROURKELA: Notwithstanding police crackdown on illegal mining at the Koida mining sector of Sundargarh district, plundering of mineral resources could not be stopped given the soft penal provisions. The arrest of 10 persons with five trucks loaded with stolen iron ore on Tuesday only highlights the fact that mineral thieves are determined to make a killing. Mining industry sources said given the lucrative monetary prospects the illegal trade offers, a few days of imprisonment is not a deterrent.

NEW DELHI: The government will auction 16 coal blocks to power producers, giving them the chance to bid for 8,165 million tonnes of reserves, enough to light up a whopping 68,000-mw of power plants for 30 years, government officials said. The blocks are part of the 54 block with 18,000 million tonnes of reserve, which will soon be offered by the coal ministry to various sectors, including power. The ministry has allocated 25%, each, to steel companies and state mining corporations, a senior government official said.

BHUBANESWAR: The Ministry of Mines has taken exception to a large number of applications pending for mineral concession and renewal of mining leases with the State Government. “It is noticed that the pace of disposal of cases has been slow. The pendency is particularly high in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu,” said Union Mines Director RK Malhotra in a recent communique to the State Government.

Strict Laws to Govern Mining of Minor Minerals in 6 Mths. Order to affect construction sector as it uses minor minerals such as sand, gravel and boulders
The Supreme Court has directed the Centre and the state governments to implement within six months strict regulations to govern mining of minor minerals as recommended by the ministry of environment and forests.