National
Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023
⇒ The Rajya Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023 on 02 August 2023. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 28 July 2023.
- The Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023 seeks to Amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 for introducing Exploration Licence & to delist some minerals from the list of atomic minerals.
It was proposed to further amend the said Act by enacting the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023. With the world-wide focus on critical minerals the amendment introduces major reforms in the mining sector which includes:
(a) Omission of 6 minerals from the list of 12 atomic minerals specified in Part-B of the First Schedule of the Act, namely, Lithium bearing minerals, Titanium bearing minerals and ores, Beryl and other beryllium bearing minerals, Niobium and Tantalum bearing minerals and Zirconium-bearing minerals.
Mining and exploration of atomic minerals specified in Part-B of the First Schedule of the Act is only being done through PSUs. Hence, exploration and mining of these minerals is very limited. Many of the minerals listed as atomic minerals have numerous non-atomic applications. In most cases, the non-atomic uses of these minerals far outweigh their atomic use. Many such minerals are not fissile or radioactive in nature. Some of these mineral commodities are also found associated with many other minerals. There is a need to vigorously increase exploration and production of the minerals proposed to be removed from the list of atomic minerals to meet the growing demands of the country wherein involvement of private sector can be a force multiplier. Expansion in exploration and mining activities of these minerals will consequently increase their availability to the atomic sector also.
The Bill provides to remove certain minerals from the list of atomic minerals, viz. minerals of lithium, beryllium, titanium, niobium, tantalum and zirconium are technology and energy critical having use in space industry, electronics, technology and communications, energy sector, electric batteries and are critical in net-zero emission commitment of India. Demand of minerals like lithium used in lithium-ion batteries is likely to increase manifold as the focus shift towards clean energy. Currently, the country is dependent on imports for most of these important minerals as there is not much exploration or mining of these minerals due to existing legal provisions. These minerals have high economic importance and considerable supply risk due to geo-political uncertainties.
Upon removal of these minerals from the list of atomic minerals, exploration and mining of these minerals will be open to private sector. As a result, exploration and mining of these minerals is expected to increase significantly in the country.
(b) Empowering Central Government to exclusively auction mineral concessions for critical minerals specified in Part D of the First Schedule of the Act. Revenue from these auctions will accrue to concerned State Government.
Another major amendment passed by the Parliament is to empower the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite licence for certain critical minerals viz. molybdenum, rhenium, tungsten, cadmium, indium, gallium, graphite, vanadium, tellurium, selenium, nickel, cobalt, tin, platinum group of elements, minerals of “rare earth” group (not containing Uranium and Thorium); fertilizer minerals such as potash, glauconite and phosphate (without uranium) and minerals being removed from the list of atomic minerals.
Only 19 blocks of minerals have been auctioned so far by the State Government viz. graphite, nickel and phosphate out of 107 blocks handed over to the various State Governments. As these critical minerals are vital for the growth of our economy, authorizing the Central Government to auction concession for these critical minerals would increase the pace of auction and early production of the minerals which have become indispensable for new-technologies such as space, electronics, information technology, energy transition, food security, etc.
Even though auction would be conducted by the Central Government, the mining lease or composite licence for these minerals to the successful bidders will be granted by the State Government only and the auction premium and other statutory payments shall continue to be received by the State Government.
(c) Introducing exploration licence for deep-seated and critical minerals
Even though 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) is allowed in mining and exploration sector through automatic route, currently there is no significant FDI received in these sectors. World over junior mining companies having expertise are engaged in exploration of minerals, especially of deep seated and critical minerals such as gold, platinum group of minerals, rare earth elements, etc. Hence there is an urgent need to attract FDI in these sectors.
The Bill introduces provisions for grant of a new mineral concession, namely, Exploration Licence (EL), in the Act. The exploration licence granted through auction shall permit the licencee to undertake reconnaissance and prospecting operations for critical and deep-seated minerals mentioned in the newly proposed Seventh Schedule to the Act. These minerals are copper, gold, silver, diamond, lithium, cobalt, molybdenum, lead, zinc, cadmium, elements of the rare earth group, graphite, vanadium, nickel, tin, tellurium, selenium, indium, rock phosphate, apatite, potash, rhenium, tungsten, platinum group of elements and other minerals proposed to be removed from the list of atomic minerals. This amendment is expected to provide conducive legal environment for attracting FDI and junior mining companies in the country.
The proposed exploration licence would facilitate, encourage and incentivize private sector participation in all spheres of mineral exploration for critical and deep-seated minerals.
Involvement of private agencies in exploration would bring advanced technology, finance and expertise in exploration for deep-seated and critical minerals. The proposed exploration licence regime is foreseen to create an enabling mechanism where in the exploration agencies will bring in expertise from across the world in geological data acquisition, processing and interpretation value chain and leverage the risk-taking ability for discovery of mineral deposits through adoption of expertise and technologies.
» The Bill became an Act after the assent of the President on August 09, 2023, and is called the Mines and Minerals (Development And Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023.
Publications Division receives Award for Excellence in Display at Delhi Book Fair 2023
⇒ Government of India’s premier publishing house Publications Division has bagged the silver medal for Excellence in Display at Delhi Book Fair 2023.
- The award has been presented at the closing cum award ceremony of the Book Fair, held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on August 2, 2023.
Books displayed by Publications Division:
- The visitors highly appreciated the exquisite collection of books displayed by Publications Division. The books covered themes ranging from nation building, history and heritage, to biographies, reference books and children literature.
- The set of books included premium books on Rashtrapati Bhavan and collections of selected speeches of Presidents, Vice Presidents and Prime Ministers, published exclusively by the Division. These too received great admiration by visitors.
- ‘India/Bharat’, the popular reference annual published by the Division, was one of the main attractions among stall visitors.
About Book Fair:
The 27th edition of the Delhi Book Fair was organized by ITPO in association with FIP from 29th July to 2nd August, 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
International
Vietnamese Delegation visits India to enhance bilateral cooperation
⇒ Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry hosted a delegation from Vietnam to promote bilateral cooperation between India and Vietnam in the infrastructure and logistics sector.
- The 5-day visit of the delegation from 31st July to 04th August 2023, was a follow-up to an Indian delegation’s visit, headed by Special Secretary, DPIIT, Smt Sumita Dawra to Vietnam between 29th and 31st March, 2023.
During the event, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash said that these bilateral interactions will foster collaboration and foreign investments in the logistics sector in both countries and promote investments.
Key Points:
- First two days of the programme included Government to Business (G2B) and Business to Business (B2B) meetings with stakeholders from private and public sectors from both countries. Followed by site visits planned to Integrated Industrial Township – Greater Noida, Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC), Maharashtra and Airport Cargo Terminal and Custom Facility, Bangalore, Karnataka, to gain first-hand experience of the logistics ecosystem in the country.
- Around 80 participants, including Vietnamese delegates from various logistics and supply chain companies and associations, Indian Officials and Indian industry, had fruitful discussions on both days.
On Day One, Government to Business (G2B) Sessions were held.
Focus of G2B meetings was on showcasing investment opportunities across NICDC industrial parks; logistics parks across different States; textile PM MITRA parks, leather parks, etc. Key takeaways from Day one is summarised below:
- Direct shipping route between India and Vietnam, is a potential area of interest for both sides.
- Investment opportunities in industrial parks and greenfield industrial smart cities such as Dholera Special Investment Region, Shendra Bidkin Industrial Area etc. can be explored by Vietnamese businesses.
- M/o Textile highlighted that the growth in the sector with forward looking schemes such as production-linked incentive (PLI 2.0), Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) etc. will enhance investments.
- Council for Leather Exports showcased potential for setting-up production units in mega leather, footwear and accessories clusters, for attracting investments.
- Investment opportunities in modernization and monetization of infrastructure at 85 locations in Tier-I and Tier-II cities under public-private partnership mode, could be explored by the Vietnamese side.
- Presentations from officials from Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka focused on highlighting the key developments and investment opportunities in respective states. For instance, Haryana’s Integrated Multi Modal Logistic Hub that offers investors an opportunity to partner as project concessionaire for building and operating internal infrastructure. Similarly, collaboration can be sought in Multimodal logistic Hub (MMLH) Dadri, Mega Food Park, Bareill, etc. in Uttar Pradesh.
On Day Two, Business to Business Sessions were held.
The B2B sessions covered the following deliberations:
- Vietnamese companies showcased development in their logistics and supply chain network, along with investment opportunities in various sectors including logistics facilities, air cargo, container shipping, maritime, etc.
- The Indian businesses presented development and opportunities in the warehousing sector, airfreight, supply chain management, EXIM cargo handling, etc.