MMDR Act to be amended soon to boost mining: Minister

The government will soon introduce amendments to the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act to boost mining in the country, Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar said here Thursday.

"We are looking at some amendments to the MMDR Act and hope to introduce them soon. We feel that the amendments will help resolve the issues that has led to the stagnation of mining in the country," Tomar said inaugurating the 10th edition the Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy and Materials International Exhibition and Conference (MMMM 2014).

Regarding the situation created by the Supreme Court verdict last week holding allocation of coal blocks since 1993 as illegal, Tomar said: "We understand the concerns of the industry on coal blocks and some of them are valid too. The government is working towards a solution and we shall try and find a solution first within the gambit of the rules."

The government has told the apex court it was ready to auction the coal blocks if they are cancelled.