Law Ministry has favoured more power to the Centre in dealing with illegal mining, an area hitherto falling under the states domain.
The Ministry made these suggestions on the draft mining legislation sent to it by the Mines Ministry for vetting.
“Law Ministry, which has vetted the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 2010, is in favour of providing more teeth to the Central government (on dealing with the problem of illegal mining),” a top official in the Ministry of Mines told PTI.
The new proposal for empowering the Centre comes in the face of Karnataka government declining suggestion for a CBI probe into allegations of illegal mining by people including ministers Reddy Brothers in the state.
“It (Law Ministry) has suggested providing additional powers to the Centre to give specific directions to the states in cases where larger threat to national security is involved, after apprehensions that illegal money from mining is used for money laundering, purchase of drugs and arms besides funding insurgency,” the official said.
At present there are not enough legal provisions for central intervention in illegal mining in states while the magnitude of problem is such that last year about 42,000 cases had been detected in 11-mineral bearing states.
The official said that the Ministry in a letter to the Home Ministry had also sought investigations by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in cases where threat to internal security was involved. The Ministry’s proposal is being examined by the Home Ministry, the official added.
The official added that in an earlier meeting at the Prime Minister’s office it was agreed to have new provisions that would empower the Centre to direct state governments in determining mining leases, especially where country’s internal security was involved.
Meanwhile, updating the new draft, the Mines Ministry has incorporated a provision of Centre issuing directions to states for detection, prevention and prosecution of cases of illegal mining, and to frame rules for the purpose.
Also making a provision for establishment of a national and state mineral fund and audit, it has provided for the provision to “reward whistle-blowers on illegal mining.”
