MINOR MINERALS - GEOGRAPHY
News: Minor
mineral sector in Odisha riddled with illegalities
What's in the news?
● Over
the past five days, the Balasore district administration in Odisha has gone
overboard in tightening the noose around minor mineral smugglers.
● Balasore
district administration has been cracking down on sand smugglers after the
recent attack on IAS officer Kunal Motiram Chavan.
Key takeaways:
● Illegal
mining of sand affects the State’s revenue collection and it has an adverse
impact on the local ecology and riparian community.
Mineral Minerals:
● Minor
minerals are those which are prescribed by Mines
and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (section 3(e)) as being
categorized as ‘minor minerals’.
● Any
mineral which by the notification of the Central Government may declare to be a
minor mineral.
● “Minor
minerals” means building stones, gravel,
ordinary clay, ordinary sand other than sand used for prescribed purposes.
Regulation:
● The
regulatory and administrative powers to frame rules, prescribe rates of
royalty, mineral concessions, enforcement, etc. are entrusted exclusively to the State governments.
EIA Clearance:
● The
EIA was amended in 2016 which made environmental
clearance mandatory for mining in areas less than five hectares, including
minor minerals.
Difference between Major and Minor Minerals:
|
Major Minerals |
Minor Minerals |
|
Major
minerals are those specified in the first
schedule appended in the MMDR Act 1957 and the common major minerals are
Lignite, Coal, Uranium, iron ore, gold etc. |
According
to MMDR Act, 1957 “Minor Minerals” means building stones, gravel, ordinary
clay, ordinary sand other than sand used for prescribed purposes, and any
other Central Govt notified mineral. |
|
There
is no official definition for
“major minerals” in the MMDR Act. Hence, whatever is not declared as a “minor
mineral” may be treated as a major mineral. |
The Center has the power to notify “minor
minerals” under MMDR Act, 1957. India has 86 minor minerals.
|
|
The
power to frame law for major minerals is dealt with by the Ministry of Mines under Central
government |
The
power to frame law for minor minerals is entirely delegated to State governments. Thus, the administrative and
regulatory jurisdiction of minor minerals falls under State governments. |
Distribution of Minerals in India:
● Mostly
metallic minerals in India occur in the peninsular
plateau region in the old crystalline rocks.
● Over
97% of coal reserves occur in the valleys of Damodar, Sone, Mahanadi and Godavari.
● Petroleum
reserves are located in the sedimentary basins of Assam, Gujarat and Mumbai High. New reserves are also located in the
Krishna-Godavari and Kaveri basins.
● In
India minerals are generally concentrated in three broad belts in India such as
○ The
North-Eastern Plateau Region - Belt
covers Chhotanagpur (Jharkhand), Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Chhattisgarh.
This region has variety of minerals
like iron ore coal, manganese, bauxite, mica etc
○ The
South-Western Plateau Region - Belt
extends over Karnataka, Goa and contiguous Tamil Nadu uplands and Kerala. This
belt is rich in ferrous metals and
bauxite, also contains high grade iron ore, limestone and manganese. Belt
lacks coal deposits except Neyveli lignite.
○ The
North-Western Region - Belt extends
along Aravali in Rajasthan and part of Gujarat and minerals are associated with
the Dharwar system of rocks. Copper,
zinc have been major minerals. Rajasthan is rich in building stones i.e. sandstone, granite, marble. Gypsum and
Fuller’s earth deposits are also extensive.