State to auction minor mineral mines, bars lease extension
belongings including livestock to reach Ramgarh, which is several miles away. We would occasionally hear the ear-splitting sound of artillery fire,” said Singh.
He added ever since tension increased between India and Pakistan following the surgical strikes, villagers have been drawing parallels with the 1971 war.
“There hasn’t been any order to evacuate the villages near the border although the BSF personnel have told us to stay alert. But this time, if the necessity comes, we are ready to go to the frontline to fight,” said Shaitan Singh, another resident of Renao. JAIPUR: The state government will auction mines of minor minerals and not allow extension to lease period, according to amendments proposed in the Rajasthan Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1986.
The amendments, which are yet to be approved by the state cabinet, propose auction as the only route of allotting mines. The state began auctioning mines for major minerals in November, 2015.
Mines were earlier allotted by lottery or first-come-first-served basis before Mines and Mineral (development and regulation) Act made auction mandatory for all allocation.
A senior mines department official said, “In the draft, we have proposed to discontinue extension of lease and are allocating mines for a period of 30 to 50 years. Besides, it has also been suggested that in the committee will decide at the directorate level in case of any breach in terma and conditions. The amendment is brought in order to simplify the process and reduce number of appeals at various levels.”
The official said the state government generated revenue of `3,782 crore in 2015-16 from mining, up from `3,404 crore in 201415. At present, there are 168 mines of major minerals, 15,197 minor minerals and 17,985 quarries in Rajasthan. “We hope that the new rules would be released in a month or two after which auctioning minor mineral mines would start,” the official said.
MINERALS PRODUCED IN THE STATE
There are about 58 different kinds of major and minor minerals produced in Rajasthan, contributing to an annual revenue of more than `3,088 crores and more than `5,953 crore from petroleum.
Rajasthan is the sole producer of garnet (gem variety), jasper and wollastonite. Almost entire production of zinc (concentrate), calcite, asbestos and gypsum in India has been reported from Rajasthan.