Mining an opportunity: Firm, transparent laws key to attract investments

Recent laws opening critical minerals to private mining raise hopes that the lessons of privatisation of coal and iron ore have been learnt

Parliament has cleared the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, this week. The objective of the Act is to invite investments from the private sector, including foreign companies, for mining minerals such as lithium and other critical minerals. Other than lithium, some of these minerals were classified as atomic minerals, including beryl and beryllium, niobium, titanium, tantalum and zirconium.

By odd coincidence this week, a Supreme Court-ordered trial court in Delhi highlighted another mining story, of coal, where the private sector has been involved. Special Judge Sanjay Bansal convicted former coal secretary H C Gupta, former Lok Sabha