Latest news with #MinesandMinerals
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
LS passes Mines and Ports bills amid protest over SIR in Bihar
NEW DELHI: Amid the chair naming deputy leader of opposition Gaurav Gogoi for "instigating" opposition MPs to protest, Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, and the Indian Ports Bill, 2025, following brief speeches by the ruling camp amid din of protests against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The proceedings were marred by vociferous sloganeering in the well of the House, which resulted in LS being adjourned once in the afternoon, after it had failed to conduct listed business in the morning. After the passage of the two bills, Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, named Gogoi for provoking the MPs to rush to the well and to tear up papers and fling them towards the chair.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Lok Sabha papers thrown at Chair amid heated protests; Jagdambika Pal reproves
Amidst persistent Opposition protests concerning the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Lok Sabha passed the Indian Ports Bill and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill. The House faced repeated disruptions and adjournments due to the uproar. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Lok Sabha passed two bills and referred one to a select committee amid continued protests and sloganeering by the Opposition over the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in House witnessed repeated adjournments as the Opposition demanded a discussion on SIR. In the post-lunch session, minister Sarbananda Sonowal moved the Indian Ports Bill for consideration and passing. It was passed by a voice vote within 25 minutes. The House was adjourned for an hour till 4.30 pm. Minister G Kishan Reddy moved the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Opposition members continued their protests despite repeated appeals by Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding over the House. The Opposition threw some papers while protesting and the Chair took a grim view of the conduct. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said, "How can you throw papers at the chair?... You should be ashamed." Pal observed that Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha had been "instigating" people to enter the well and throw papers. While not naming anyone, he said the conduct was not appropriate.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Lok Sabha passes bill to increase production, processing of critical minerals
Lok Sabha passes bill to increase production, processing of critical minerals Lok Sabha passes bill to increase production, processing of critical minerals 1 2 NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill which seeks to provide a simpler regime for promoting conservation of minerals, zero waste mining and support the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission, given the significance of critical and strategic minerals in the development of the country. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, was passed after brief debate, with Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy stating that every sector is dependent on critical minerals. The significance of critical and strategic minerals in the development of the country is continuously increasing and recent global geo-political developments has constricted the supply-chains of these minerals. The Centre launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. Under this mission, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill was passed amid sloganeering by opposition members over their demand for debate on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. In his reply to the debate on the bill, G Kishan Reddy said that India has less production of critical minerals and is largely dependent on imports. The bill seeks to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and also seeks to promote extraction of deep-seated minerals. The minister said efforts have been stepped up since 2015 to boost the availability of critical minerals in the country. "We are moving in the right direction," he said. He emphasised that everyone should understand the value of critical minerals, as every sector, "from electricity and medical equipment to automobiles, defence, solar, and space, is heavily dependent on them". Kishan Reddy said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visits abroad, seeks to expand cooperation in critical minerals. He also attacked opposition parties over disruption in the House, saying they "do not have faith on the Supreme Court, Election Commission". The minister said the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, is an important bill for the mining sector. "Mining sector will be an important pillar and will have a big role in India's journey to Viksit Bhart by 2047," he said. In his brief remarks while moving the bills for passing, Kishan Reddy said critical minerals is the need of the hour and sought unanimous support for the legislation. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 has been amended several times over the years. The last amendment made in the Act in 2023 focused on increasing exploration and production of critical and strategic minerals in the country by introducing a new list of 24 critical and strategic minerals; empowering the Central Government to auction mineral concessions in respect of such minerals and introduction of exploration licence for critical and deep-seated minerals. According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, there is need to provide a dynamic market mechanism for minerals backed by a robust regulatory regime with the increased availability and demand of minerals in the country. "Setting up of mineral exchanges will help miners and end-users of minerals in determining fair and transparent market prices based on supply and demand dynamics, stabilise markets and aid in budgeting and planning. This will promote investment in mining sector and infrastructure related to transport and storage," the statement said. The bill seeks to remove the limit on the sale of minerals from the captive mines so that miners can sell minerals after meeting the requirements of the end-use plant linked with the mine and on payment of an additional amount specified in the Act. It seeks to allow the sale of dumps which have been stacked up to such date as may be specified by the Central Government in captive leases which cannot be captively utilised to reduce environmental hazards and increase safety in mine workings, bring more minerals to the market and provide additional revenue to the States. India is mostly dependent on the import of critical minerals. A National Critical Mineral Mission has been launched to increase domestic production, including from the offshore areas of India, secure supply chains from outside India and promote processing of critical minerals. "There is an urgent need to further amend the Act to support the National Critical Mineral Mission in its objectives," the statement said. The bill seeks to empower the Central Government to promote the development of the market, including trading, of minerals, their concentrates or their processed forms (including metals) through mineral exchanges. It seeks to widen the scope and territorial domain of the National Mineral Exploration Trust to enable the use of the funds accrued to the Trust within India, including the offshore areas, and outside India for the purposes of exploration and development of mines and minerals. The bill seeks to enable one-time extension of the area under a mining lease or composite licence to include therein a contiguous area not exceeding ten per cent. or thirty per cent., respectively, of the existing area under the lease or licence subject to such terms and conditions and additional payment as may be prescribed in rules by the Central Government. "This will promote optimal mining of deep-seated minerals which are locked up in contiguous areas and may not be economically viable to be extracted under a separate lease or licence," the statement said. The bill seeks to rename the Trust as the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust to reflect its enlarged scope and increase the amount of payment to the Trust by the lessees from present two per cent. of the royalty payable to three per cent. of the royalty payable; It seeks to enable the inclusion of any new mineral in a mining lease, subject to the conditions prescribed by the Central Government and the additional amount payable as specified in the proposed Eighth Schedule to the Act. No additional amount is applicable on inclusion of critical and strategic mineral or minerals specified in the Seventh Schedule to the Act to incentivise production of these minerals which are found in small quantity and are difficult to mine and process.
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Lok Sabha passes Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill
Synopsis Amidst opposition protests regarding the revision of Bihar electoral rolls, the Lok Sabha approved the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2025. The bill expands the National Mineral Exploration Trust's scope to include offshore and international areas for mineral exploration and development. It also renames the trust and increases lessee payments to 3% of the royalty. ANI Representative image. New Delhi: The Lok Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2025 on Tuesday, amid the din of opposition protests over the revision of Bihar electoral rolls by the Election Bill was passed by a voice vote as opposition members raised slogans in the House. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2025 seeks to widen the scope and territorial domain of the National Mineral Exploration Trust to enable the use of the funds accrued to it within India, including offshore areas, and outside India for the exploration and development of mines and minerals. The Bill also seeks to rename the trust as the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust to reflect its enlarged scope and increase the amount of payment to it by the lessees from the present 2 per cent of the royalty payable to 3 per cent.
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Supreme Court refuses to stay probe against former Congress minister
The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to stay ongoing investigations against former Congress minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, directing him to cooperate in all pending cases, while issuing notice to the Rajasthan government on his petition which had sought clubbing of multiple FIRs registered against him or quashing of all such FIRs. The matter was heard by a bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Bhaya, pressed for an urgent interim relief praying that the investigation in these 'politically motivated' cases be stayed. He argued that the FIRs were lodged after the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections, allegedly to harass Bhaya following his electoral defeat. The FIRs, he argued, are vague, overlapping, and have been filed by politically affiliated complainants to settle scores. Former cabinet minister for Mines, Petroleum and Gopalan in the third Ashok Gehlot ministry from 2018 to 2023, Bhaya was elected to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly three terms from Anta and Baran constituencies. Representing Rajasthan, Additional Advocate General Shiv Mangal Sharma said that each FIR pertains to separate transactions involving distinct facts, complainants and offences, ranging from illegal mining, issuance of forged pattas, to financial misappropriation and document fabrication in collusion with various public officials. Sharma argued that clubbing these FIRs was neither legally sustainable nor practically feasible, especially as they have been lodged across multiple police stations, and that investigation in several matters is at an advanced stage and that the matters are investigated fairly and independently. Taking note of the submissions of the state, the Supreme Court declined to grant Bhaya an interim relief and directed him to cooperate fully in the investigation in all the FIRs pending against him across Rajasthan. However, the top court also categorically stated that no coercive steps shall be taken against the petitioner until the next date of hearing. In his petition, Bhaya had challenged the May 1 judgment of the Rajasthan High Court where it had dismissed his petitions for clubbing and quashing of FIRs, terming the reliefs sought 'contradictory and legally irreconcilable.' The High Court had observed that the FIRs involved distinct allegations and did not arise out of a single transaction, and hence the 'test of sameness' was not satisfied. It further ruled that no mala fides could be presumed without any specific pleading or proof against the investigating officers. The FIRs against Bhaya include allegations under various provisions of the IPC, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, and others, registered at multiple police stations. The SC sought a response from the state government within four weeks.
