How a small word change cleared the air over NMDC's future mine renewals

Govt notification replaces the word 'may' with 'shall' in a move that will even bring back Donimalai and Chhattisgarh mines

A notification issued by the Government of India is expected to have far-reaching and positive implications for NMDC, as it will remove all ambiguity regarding the future renewal of mining leases for NMDC. The public sector firm will even be able to take back Donimalai without paying any premium, and all concerns regarding the renewal of Chhattisgarh mines will be addressed too.

In a gazette notification issued in this connection, the Ministry of Mines simply removed the word 'may' and inserted the word 'shall' in one of the rules.

Analysts said that essentially, this will remove all ambiguity on future