3 days ago
MMDR Amendment Bill to boost jobs, accelerate critical mineral exploration: Standing Committee Member
BJP MP and Standing Committee on Coal, Mines & Steel member Roopkumari Choudhary has said the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, will strengthen state rights, generate employment, and bolster the economy through more efficient use of mineral resources.
Choudhary told
ANI
that the legislation grants states greater authority over mining, including the right to sell mining waste, boosting local revenues and aiding environmental management. States will also have a role in the proposed mineral exchange to monitor production, reserves, and sales.
'This Bill significantly enhances states' rights, promotes employment, and strengthens the economic condition by enabling better utilisation of mineral resources,' she said.
The amendments aim to simplify the mining regime, promote zero-waste mining, and advance the objectives of the
National Critical Mineral Mission
(NCMM), given the growing importance of minerals such as lithium, graphite, nickel, and cobalt for electric vehicles, battery manufacturing, and high-tech industries.
Key provisions include raising National
Mineral Exploration
Trust funding from 2 per cent to 3 per cent, expanding lease areas by up to 30 per cent, allowing sale of 100 per cent captive mine output with additional royalty, and permitting private players and FDI in critical mineral exploration. The Bill also enables offshore exploration and foreign critical mineral projects.
Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy told the House that the legislation will help address global supply chain constraints in
critical minerals
and boost domestic exploration. Under the NCMM, the Geological Survey of India is tasked with 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31.
