Should district mineral foundations be with state mining departments?
Recent plan to move Odisha DMF from the state planning and convergence department to the mines department raises several questions
Metal meltdown
The global crash in aluminium prices, triggered by overproduction in China, is forcing Indian companies to shut down operations. The solution may …
State has no absolute right over subsoil minerals: SC
Ownership over minerals vest with land owner, says apex court; question of payment of royalty to state referred to a larger bench
Let people-centric natural resource governance be the new regime’s agenda
India must strengthen the mechanisms of natural resource management that is people-centric and sustainable to ensure economic and social stability
Do away with forest clearance to explore mining activities: Mines ministry to MoEF&CC
Since survey and investigation for mining opportunities during exploration do not cause any perceptible changes in forest land, these could be …
Environmental clearance must for removing mine dumps in Goa: Union mines ministry
Transporting mineral-rich reject in large quantities will cause air pollution and its processing will produce waste, says ministry
Mined to death: an elegy for the rivers of Meghalaya
The rivers in the Jaintia Hills have turned deep blue; mines and cement factories have killed all fish and aquatic life in them
How sand mining along the Narmada is choking web of life
Mining has altered the landscape, river flow, water availability and sand deposit patterns; rivers have dried up, farming has become difficult&…
Chhattisgarh activist, Ramesh Agrawal, bags Goldman prize
He used RTI to block big corporations, such as Jindal group, that have mining and steel interests in the state
Cabinet clears mineral Act; foreign companies can mine too
Government takes ordinance route to clear Bill, allowing foreign companies to bid for mineral resources
Lobbying begins
Just before mining bill is tabled in Parliament, industry calls profit-sharing a burden. Government is unsure
Odisha mining scam: petition in SC seeks closure of illegal mines
As Shah Commission report gets tabled in Parliament, Delhi-based NGO, Common Cause, seeks Supreme Court's intervention for a macro environment …
Police cracks down on retrenched UCIL mine workers in Jharkhand
Most of the protesting workers are tribal people who were displaced from their land by the Bandhuhurang mining project
Chhattisgarh village under demolition for Hindalco mine, villagers claim foul play
At least 50 families have been relocated, claims official. A house was razed on June 2
Coal scam: fait accompli no ground for not cancelling coal blocks, says SC
Apex court says companies which invested money on coal blocks without getting green clearances took the decision at their own risk
Prosperity, thorns, a village road: Ground report from Khodgaon (near Rowghat iron ore reserve)
A road in national interest: Despite its opposition, a tribal village sees a road cut right through it to mine one of India’s biggest iron-…
Solar power tariff hits record low, sparks worry about coal’s future
The solar power tariff bid of Rs 2.36 per kilowatt / hour is 3.3% lower than the previous record
Green clearances not required for new coal mine leaseholders
Environment ministry transfers environment clearances of previous leaseholders to new allottees
Has government weakened its case against Vedanta?
Stand taken by environment ministry in Supreme Court affidavit gives opponents chance to press for mining in Niyamgiri hills
Madras High Court admits petition accusing Tamil Nadu works department of illegal sand mining
'None of the 42 mining sites on the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers have environment clearance'
Refugee exodus, militia attacks: What is happening in Mali
At least 0.1 mln refugees fled to neighbouring countries; about 1.4 mln in critical need of food assistance
Coal quandary
In a sweeping pronouncement, the Supreme Court has termed all the 218 coal blocks allocated since 1993 illegal. This has raised a fundamental …
‘No foreign players will bid in India’s auction of coal blocks’
It does not make sense to auction coal blocks when most blocks do not have environmental clearances, says Tim Buckley, Institute for …
Steel minister’s POSCO statement comes as relief to Odisha village residents
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said that the steel giant will have to bid for iron ore reserves in an open auction
Supreme Court terms coal block allocations 'illegal'
Bench headed by chief justice says Centre made the allocations in an arbitrary and unfair manner