India clears way for major reforms in metals & minerals sector
COAL & MINING

India clears way for major reforms in metals & minerals sector

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment (MMDRA) Bill’s passage is expected to not only kickstart structural reforms in India’s mining sector but also ensure mineral security. This review includes industry reactions on the anticipated passing of the bill into law.

The metals and mining sector contributes a measly 1.75% to India’s GDP, while the country imports minerals worth Rs 2.5 trillion annually. Take coal for instance. Despite possessing the world’s fourth-largest coal reserves, the country is dependent on imports. Coal import rose by 15.1% to 23.63 million tonne (MT) in December 2020 compared to 20.52 MT during the corresponding period in 2019. In sharp contrast, the sector contributes nearly 7-7.5% of the GDP in countries like South Africa and Australia that are as mineral-rich as India.

The passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021, by Parliament’s upper house, Rajya Sabha, is expected to clear the way for long-pending structural reforms in the mining sector to ensure the “mineral security” of the nation.

The bill would remove restrictions on where mine products could be used, redefines a mine, and eases the path for the government to sell a mine. The bill is not without its challenges, though. This report includes the reactions of industry stalwarts.

Amar Gupta, Partner, J Sagar Associates
Pankaj Satija, Chief Regulatory Affairs, Tata  Steel
Rahul Sharma, Deputy CEO, Aluminium &  Power, Vedanta
Sumit Deb, Chairman & Managing Director,   National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC)
Tuhin Mukherjee, Managing Director,Essel Mining & Industries

Click here to read the exclusive report.

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment (MMDRA) Bill’s passage is expected to not only kickstart structural reforms in India’s mining sector but also ensure mineral security. This review includes industry reactions on the anticipated passing of the bill into law. The metals and mining sector contributes a measly 1.75% to India’s GDP, while the country imports minerals worth Rs 2.5 trillion annually. Take coal for instance. Despite possessing the world’s fourth-largest coal reserves, the country is dependent on imports. Coal import rose by 15.1% to 23.63 million tonne (MT) in December 2020 compared to 20.52 MT during the corresponding period in 2019. In sharp contrast, the sector contributes nearly 7-7.5% of the GDP in countries like South Africa and Australia that are as mineral-rich as India. The passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021, by Parliament’s upper house, Rajya Sabha, is expected to clear the way for long-pending structural reforms in the mining sector to ensure the “mineral security” of the nation. The bill would remove restrictions on where mine products could be used, redefines a mine, and eases the path for the government to sell a mine. The bill is not without its challenges, though. This report includes the reactions of industry stalwarts.Amar Gupta, Partner, J Sagar Associates Pankaj Satija, Chief Regulatory Affairs, Tata  Steel Rahul Sharma, Deputy CEO, Aluminium &  Power, Vedanta Sumit Deb, Chairman & Managing Director,   National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) Tuhin Mukherjee, Managing Director,Essel Mining & IndustriesClick here to read the exclusive report.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

KONE Opens India's First Digital Experience Centre in Pune

KONE, a global elevator and escalator manufacturer, has inaugurated its first Digital Experience Centre (DEC) in India, located in Pune. The facility aims to showcase how artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity and data-driven technologies can enhance customer experiences and improve building operations.The centre was inaugurated by Jussi Herlin, Executive Vice Chair, KONE Corporation; Philippe Delorme, President and CEO, KONE; and Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Infosys.Designed as an interactive customer environment, the facility demonstrates digital solutions cover..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

CII GreenCo Launches Circularity Guidelines for Indian Industry

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) GreenCo Council has launched the CII GreenCo Circularity Guidelines – Pilot Version at the 17th CII GreenCo Waste & Resource Management Summit 2026 in Chennai. The initiative aims to strengthen resource efficiency, waste reduction and circular economy practices across Indian manufacturing and process industries.The guidelines introduce a structured framework with circularity indices covering raw materials, consumables, packaging and other resource inputs. These indicators will help industries assess existing practices, identify opportunities to ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Global Electronics Association Launches IPC-1783-CO2E Standard

The Global Electronics Association has introduced IPC-1783-CO2E, a new international standard aimed at improving consistency, transparency and comparability in product carbon footprint reporting across the electronics manufacturing industry.The standard, titled International Standard for Data Collection and Reporting of CO2 Equivalent (CO2e) Emissions for the Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain, provides industry-specific guidance for collecting, estimating and reporting carbon emissions data.With increasing regulatory requirements and customer expectations, electronics manufacturers face c..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code