GuideLine To Monitor Sand Mining – Economics – Free PDF Download

CURRENT AFFAIR

• For the first time, the Ministry of Environment,  Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released  guidelines to monitor and check illegal sand mining in  the country.

PRESENT STATUS

• At present, the Sustainable Sand Management Guidelines (SSMG), 2016 focus on the management of  sand mining, but there was a need to have guidelines  for effective enforcement of regulatory provisions and  their monitoring.

Background

• The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 has empowered state  governments to make rules to prevent illegal mining,  transportation and storage of minerals.
• However, there was a large number of illegal mining cases in the country and in some cases, many of the  officers lost their lives while executing their duties to  curb illegal mining.

Constitutional/ Legal Framework of  Mining Sector in India

• The entry at serial No. 23 of List II (State List) to the Constitution of India mandates the state government  to own the minerals located within their boundaries.
• The entry at serial No. 54 of List I (Central List) mandates the central government to own the minerals  within the exclusive economic zone of India (EEZ). In  pursuance to this Mines & Minerals (Development and  Regulation) (MMDR) Act of 1957 was framed.

First Schedule to the Mines and  Minerals (Development and  Regulation) Act, 1957

• For minerals specified in the First Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation)  Act, 1957 approval of the Central Government is 
• Schedule I contains minerals such as coal and lignite, minerals of the “rare earths” group containing  Uranium and Thorium

MINOR MINERALS

• The Central Government notifies certain minerals as ‘minor’ minerals from time to time for which the  absolute powers for deciding on procedures of seeking  applications for and granting mineral concessions,  fixing rates of royalty, dead rent, and power to revise  orders rest only with the State Government.

Enforcement and Monitoring  Guidelines for Sand Mining 2020

• Source to Destination Monitoring: The new set of guidelines focuses on the effective monitoring of sand  mining from the identification of sand mineral sources  to its dispatch and end-use by consumers and the  general public and look at a uniform protocol for the  whole country.
• Constantly monitor mining with drones and night surveillance of mining activity through night-vision
• Audits: States to carry out river audits, put detailed survey reports of all mining areas in the public
• Transparency: Online sales and purchase of sand and other riverbed materials (RBM) for transparency in the
• Enforcement: It gives directions to states to set up dedicated task forces at district levels.
• In cases where rivers become district boundaries or state boundaries, the districts or states sharing the  boundary shall constitute the combined task force for  monitoring of mined materials, mining activity and  participate in the preparation of District Survey  Reports (DSR) by providing appropriate inputs.
• Sustainability: Conduct replenishment study for river bed sand in order to nullify the adverse impacts arising  due to excessive sand extraction.
• No riverbed mining will be allowed during the

Procedure for Comprehensive DSRs

• While the Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines, 2016, require the preparation of District Survey Reports (DSR),  which is an important initial step before grant of mining  lease, the government has found that the DSRs carried out  by state and district administrations are often not  comprehensive enough, allowing space for illegal mining.
• The new guidelines, therefore, list a detailed procedure of how the DSRs are to be made, including the development  of an inventory, for the first time, of river bed material and  other sand sources in the district.

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