Parliament Passes Mines Mineral Development And Regulation Amendment Bill To Ensure Transparency In Allocation

20 March, New Delhi

Parliament passed the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation)Amendment Bill, 2015, with the Lok Sabha adopting it Friday .

Minister for Mines, Narendra Singh Tomar replying the debate said the bill will bring transparency in the mining sector and weed out corruption in the allocation of mines.

Participating in the brief discussion, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge dismissed the allegation of being obstructionist. He said that had the government accepted their earlier suggestions, the bill would have been disposed off long back.

Responding to Kharge’s remark , Tomar said that constructive suggestions are always welcome.

Earlier in the day, the Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha as reported by its Select Committee.

It was passed with 117 members in favour and 69 against. Barring Congress and Left, all parties supported the bill. However, JD(U) members staged a walkout before the voting.

The Rajya Sabha had referred the bill to its Select Committee last week, which tabled its report to the House on Wednesday.

Among other things, the Bill will regulate the mining sector in the country and specifies the requirement for obtaining and granting mining leases for mining operations.

Thursday , the Congress and Let parties had strongly opposed the introduction of the Bill, demanding that it should be resent to the Committee again. They alleged that the Committee did not get enough time to hold consultations with stakeholders.