The new Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act has ensured that the entire process of allotment of mines is now transparent. The Union Minister of Steel, Mines and labour, Narendra Singh Tomar said this while speaking at ONGC auditorium here on Friday. He said that apart from brining transparency in much maligned process of allotment the act has also brought much needed progress in mining sector.
The minister was invited by a news channel to speak in a ‘Dialogue- Unlocking India’s Metal, Mining and Mineral Potential’ at ONGC auditorium. He informed that the process of E- auctioning has brought revenue of Rs 3 lakh Crores to the nation. The minister disclosed that the government has made many proposals in the new act which will benefit the states. He listed increase in number of minor minerals, the mines of which states can allot from earlier 29 to 55 and empowering them to issue mining leases in the states itself as some of these measures. Tomar said that the states are now allowed to approve the mining plans which earlier were sole prerogative of Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM). He informed that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has recently submitted a list of 100 new mineral blocks after exploration which can now be used for mining. On the steel production front the Union minister claimed that India is now third largest producer of steel in world and the Ministry has taken up a target to make the country second largest producer of steel by the year 2025. He disclosed that the annual production of Steel Authority of India limited (SAIl) has jumped to 23 Million Tonnes (MT) this year from 13 MT last year. Tomar accepted that highest quality steel is still not produced in the country and added that research is needed in the field. He informed that the government and industry have made a pool of Rs 200 Crore to promote research in the field of steel production.
The industries Advisor to CM, Ranjit Rawat said Uttarakhand is plagued by the troika of environmentalists, activists and politicians who block every developmental project. He said that 63 percent area of state is under reserve forest and 7 percent is in social forestry due to which the state faces problems to use its mineral wealth. Rawat said that the Union government should help the state government to wriggle out of this problem.
Top officials of GSI, SAIl and MECl were present on the occasion.