In August 2020, the Ministry invited public comments on proposed mining reforms. In January, the proposal was approved by the Cabinet. Now, in response to an RTI application, the ministry said that of over 12,000 submissions that it received, it only considered those suggestions that were “committed for reforms.”
Two BJP MPs have levelled allegations of malpractices against the professional in-charge of the insolvency resolution process of Topworth Steels and Power, an ailing company promoted by Abhay Lodha and Surendra Lodha. Documents with NewsClick suggest that after the resolution professional discovered fraudulent transactions in the company, his dismissal was sought by the two MPs. An exclusive investigation.
Recent media reports suggest that the State Bank of India (SBI) – India’s largest public bank – is ‘all set to offer’ a billion-dollar loan to Adani’s Carmichael coal mine in Australia. These reports come five years after a similar proposal was scuttled. In the absence of official confirmation from the SBI, the community has re-launched protests against the bank.
Angry at news reports that the State Bank of India is about to loan Adani money for its Carmichael mine, campaigners in the Indian state of Goa have protested outside the bank’s offices. The action was in solidarity with similar protests occurring in Australia and around the world. It is the first StopAdani protest to occur in India.
Rival investors are up in arms as the Adani group makes a last-minute attempt to acquire a bankrupt home-loan company in India. One such investor, the Piramal group, has written a letter to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming that Adani’s attempt violates the rules of the bidding process.
Civil society member, however, feel this is still too short a period for any meaningful public consultations on wide-ranging structural reforms in the mines and mineral sector. Also, it excludes the affected communities.
Members of civil society and concerned activists have condemned a proposal for mining reforms issued by the Ministry of Mines. The notice that was made public on August 24 proposing substantive changes to mineral laws, rules, and regulations, is seeking public comments within a period of 10 days.
In India, a conflict between various state governments and the central Modi government is developing over Modi’s determination to proceed with a controversial auction of 41 coal blocks. In the state of Chhattisgarh, a proposed elephant reserve in the Hasdeo Aranya forest could prove crucial to whether coal mining in these biodiverse forests proceeds. But if the reserve is compromised to enable mining it will worsen human-elephant conflict for the indigenous Adivasis.
In January 2020, Indian news media reported that a cloud of uncertainty hung over the future of Adani’s power project at Godda. Provincial elections had just been held and a new government had been elected in the state of Jharkhand. Spokespeople for the new government were quoted saying that they would take a fresh look at the approval for Adani’s power station because of the controversial confiscation of farmers’ lands.
