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The Meghalaya assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution against exploration and mining of uranium in the northeastern state. The assembly adopted the resolution moved by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and supported by all 60 MLAs. The resolution urged the Centre, the Department of Atomic Energy and Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) not to permit, pursue or undertake any uranium mining operation in Meghalaya. "We have seen the impacts of uranium mining in different parts of the country, where the health of people around mining areas has been affected," Sangma said. Moving the resolution, Sangma said Meghalaya has large deposits of uranium and that "past activities by the Centre related to its exploration and mining had been opposed by people" across the state.
CSR initiatives in mining, metals and infrastructure sectors will fail to drive long-term transformation unless aligned with national priorities and communities take ownership of welfare programmes, experts warned, underscoring the need for deeper local engagement amid rising scrutiny on sustainable development. This comes as India accelerates critical minerals exploration and infrastructure under Atmanirbhar Bharat to secure supply chains for EVs, renewables, and defence, with CSR spending surpassing Rs 15,000 crore yearly in these sectors. "The mandated 2 per cent CSR spending must be matched with 100 per cent accountability if welfare initiatives are to create sustainable and measurable outcomes. Ultimately, CSR is a collective and cumulative social responsibility (CSR). The challenge today is not resources or policy, it is ownership at scale," said Pavan Kaushik, sustainability and CSR advisor for sectors like mining, metals and infrastructure. CSR in the mining sector must alig