KOLKATA | Jun 14, 2016: Union mines ministry will hold two meetings on Thursday (June 16) and Monday (June 20) to expedite proposals for grant of mining leases (ML) under Section 10A(2)(c) of the MMDR, 2015 which are pending with the state governments and the ministry of environment and forests and climate change.

The meetings, to be held in Delhi, will be chaired by the union mines secretary and will discuss the pending proposals in order to accelerate their progress before the two-year deadline gets over on January 11, 2017. The ministry feels the pending cases need urgent attention since they have to be examined and finalized well before the time limit of two years from January 12, 2015, failing which they would lapse suo moto.

While the meeting on June 16, 2016 will pertain to cases in key mineral rich states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Odisha, the one on June 20, 2016 will discuss proposals pending in states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The mines ministry has invited principal secretary and secretary in-charge of mining departments of these states to depute Director /DGM to attend the meetings on the respective day.

Section 10A(2)(c) of the MMDR 2015 says, "where the central government has communicated previous approval as required under sub-section(1) of section 5 for grant of a mining lease, or if a letter of intent been issued by the State Government to grant a mining lease, before the commencement of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015, the mining lease shall be granted subject to fulfilment of the conditions of the previous approval or of the letter of intent within a period of two years from the date of commencement of the said Act".

(Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/)