Lok Sabha Question No. 457 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-17
Subject: Task Force for Illegal Mining
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.457 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 TH  NOVEMBER, 2016

## 'TASK FORCE FOR ILLEGAL MINING'

## 457. SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Union Government has requested the State Governments toexpedite setting up of State level task forces to curb the illegal mining in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the names of States who have set up task forces in the country so far;
- (c) whether the Union Government proposes to create a mechanism to observethe movement  of minerals through roads and railways for countering the illegalmining  and  register  the  transfer  of  minerals  to  different  parts  of  the country; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  POWER,  COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) & (b): The Central Government in co-ordination  with the  State  Governments has initiated  efforts  to  tackle  instances  of  illegal  mining.  As  per  section  23C  of  the Mines  and  Minerals  (Development  and  Regulation)  (MMDR)  Act,  1957,  State Governments  have  been  empowered  to  make  rules  for  preventing  illegal  mining, transportation and storage of minerals and for the purposes connected therewith in the State.

Ministry  of  Mines  has  formulated  a  three-pronged  strategy  for  prevention  of illegal mining, namely:

- (i) Constitution  of  Task  Force  by  the  State  Governments  at  State  and District  Level  having  a  representative  of  Indian  Bureau  of  Mines  (a subordinate office under the Ministry of Mines).
- (ii) Framing of rules under Section 23C of the MMDR Act, 1957.
- (iii) Furnishing quarterly returns on illegal mining by the State Governments.

Altogether,  22  State  Governments  have  constituted  the  Task  Force  namely, Andhra  Pradesh,  Assam,  Bihar,  Chhattisgarh,  Goa,  Gujarat,  Haryana,  Himachal Pradesh,  Jharkhand,  Karnataka,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Maharashtra,  Manipur,  Mizoram, Nagaland,  Odisha,  Punjab,  Rajasthan,  Tamilnadu,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Uttarakhand  and West Bengal. The function of the Task Force is to review the action taken by member departments for checking the illegal mining activities in their respective jurisdiction.

(c) & (d): The Central Government has amended Rule 45 of the Mineral Conservation  and  Development  Rules,  (MCDR)  1988.  MCDR,  1988  to  provide  for measures  to  ensure  scientific  management  of  the  mining  process.  Rule  45  of  the MCDR  provides  for  the  mining  companies  to  provide  periodic  reports  on  the extraction and disposal of the mined material. Rule 45 of MCDR also facilitates endto-end national-scale accounting of all minerals produced in the country from the pit head to its  end-use,  reducing  the  scope  for  illegal  mining,  royalty  evasion,  etc.  The amended Rule 45 now makes it mandatory for all miners, traders, stockists, exporters and end-users of minerals to register and report on the production, trade and utilisation of minerals to the State Governments and Indian Bureau of Mines. Up to September, 2016, total 3843 mining leases have been registered online with IBM (excluding 31 minerals declared as minor mineral on 10.02.2015). Similarly, as regards to the status of registration of end users, traders, stockists and exporters, at the end of September, 2016 total 3203 units of end users, 5142 number of traders, 1631 number of stockists and 849 number of exporters have been registered. Indian Bureau of Mines has also requested the State Governments not to issue transit passes for movement of minerals to unregistered operators.

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