Lok Sabha Question No. 4209 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-26
Subject: Global Safety Standards in Mining
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Smt. Rachna Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 4209

ANSWERED ON 26.03.2025

## GLOBAL SAFETY STANDARDS IN MINING

4209. SMT. RACHNA BANERJEE:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state: (a)  the  details  of  strategies  implemented  to  ensure  that  local  communities  around mining  areas  benefit  economically  from  mining  projects  in  terms  of  job  creation, infrastructure development and education; (b) the manner in which the Government is monitoring the safety of workers in the mining industry and the details of improvements being made to ensure that mining operations meet global safety standards; (c)  the  concrete  measures  being  taken  to  curb  illegal  mining  and  reduce  the environmental  and  social  harm  it  causes  in  view  of  the  fact  that  illegal  mining continues to be a significant issue in many regions of the country; and (d)  the  health  programme  being  implemented  to  mitigate  the  negative  effects  of mining  operations  on  local  health,  including  respiratory  problems  and  waterborne

- diseases?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a)  Section  9B  of  MMDR  Act  empowers  State  Governments  to  establish  District Mineral Foundation (DMF) to take up development programmes in mining affected areas.  The  Pradhan  Mantri  Khanij  Kshetra  Kalyan  Yojana  (PMKKKY)  provides implementation framework for schemes to be undertaken for welfare and development of mining affected areas and people through the funds collected under DMFs. PMKKKY provides for utilization of at least 70% of the funds for high priority sectors including education, skill development and livelihood generation, and up to 30% of funds to be utilized for other priority sectors including physical infrastructure. Till  January 2025, Rs 1,04,251 Cr. has been collected, out of which Rs 88,483 Cr. has  been  sanctioned  for  3.69  lakh  projects.  A  total  2.08  lakh  projects  have  been completed and an amount of Rs.55,924 Cr. has been spent in 645 DMF districts in 23 States in the country.

(b) The safety, health and welfare of workers employed in mines is regulated by the Mines Act, 1952 and the Rules/ Regulations framed thereunder. The provisions for the welfare of persons employed in mines are implemented through the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), which comes under the administrative control of Ministry  of  Labour  and  Employment.  DGMS  has  been  entrusted  the  task  of inspection of mines to ensure the compliance of the provisions of Mines Act, 1952. DGMS has taken various steps to reduce the fatalities in mine and to enforce the safety  of  workers  engaged therein,  which  inter  alia  include  inspection  of  accidents and dangerous occurrence to ascertain cause and circumstances, regular inspection of mines, development of standards protocols, holding national conference on safety in mines, observance of safety weeks, campaigns, awareness etc. Additionally, the Mine Owners/Lessees are as such making necessary arrangements for the welfare, health and safety of the miners as per the provisions of the Mines Act, 1952. Further, necessary provisions have been made in the Metalliferous Mines Regulations 1961 and the Coal Mines Regulations 2017 for the protection of miners from dust, smoke and noxious gases while working within the mine boundary.

(c) As per section 23C of the MMDR Act 1957, State Governments are empowered to make rules for prevention of illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals for both major and minor minerals and for purposes connected therewith. Therefore, matters  relating  to  illegal  mining  come  under  the  legislative  and  administrative jurisdiction of State Governments. The Central Government supports and augments these efforts through policy initiatives from time to time. Some of the steps taken by the Central Government for the prevention and control of illegal mining include:

i. The 2015 amendment to the MMDR Act 1957 introduced tough penalties for illegal mining, including up to five years imprisonment and fines up to ₹5 lakh per hectare, and provision to establish Special Courts for expedited trials.

ii.  Rule  45  of  the  Mineral  Conservation  and  Development  Rules,  M(CDR)  2017, provides for measures to ensure scientific management of the mining process.

iii.  The  Ministry  of  Mines,  through  IBM,  has  developed  the  Mining  Surveillance System (MSS), in coordination with Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG), Gandhinagar and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), to use space technology for curbing illegal mining activity in the country

(d) Environment preservation, Pollution control as well as Health Care are under the High Priority Sectors of PMKKKY under which projects are carried out using DMFs funds.  Till  January  2025,  a  total  of  8,792  projects  have  been  undertaken  under

Environment  Preservation  &  Pollution  Control  and  21,548  projects  have  been undertaken under Health Care sector by DMFs, as per details given below:

| Sectors                                        | Number of Projects   | Amount Allocated (In Cr.)   | Amount Spent (In Cr.)   |
|------------------------------------------------|----------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------------|
| Environment Preservation and Pollution Control | 8,792                | 1,629.92                    | 1,023.27                |
| Health Care                                    | 21,548               | 8,640.18                    | 6,156.76                |

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