JAIPUR | June 21, 2017: To encourage mining in the state, government relaxed the license fee of quarry and mining leases and reduced payment of premium fee from 50 years to just one year by amending Rajasthan minor mineral concession rules (2017), As per the new amendments, holders of the Letters of Intent (LoI) or clearance certificates would have to pay yearly premium dead rent (minimum royalty per year) or license fee only once during the lease period instead of 50 years. It would be charged at 2.5 times of the license fee. According to the officials decision was taken as this charge was too hefty for the lease owners.

Providing another major relaxation, performance security for the mining leases and quary licenses, which was 100% of the license fee or dead rent in the rules of 2017, has now been halved. This is expected to benefit thousands of mines licensees.

In accordance with the intent of Center, the state government declared to save the LoIs issued on khatedari land or those issued through the draw of lottery such. Earlier there was no such provision. It will benefit more than 500 LoI holders are likely to benefit from this move.

Along with it scheduled dead rent would be charged from the newly approved mines only while old license-holders would continue paying dead rent as per the previous rates upto August 31, 2017. In the previously announced rules of 2017, dead rent was scheduled to be charged from March 1, 2017 onwards on all old and new mines leases.

For old license holders Dead Rent would be revised from September 1, 2017 onwards and the charges for it would be either double of old Dead Rent or the new scheduled rate, whichever is less. In the amended rules, royalty on bricks of non-commercial uses has now been forgiven. This would be relief for those who make bricks for their own use in the rural areas.

Also, the maximum amount of premium to be charged from the miner for transfer of ownership in the name of her or his spouse or children had been reduced from 10 lakh to 50,000 rupees. Against the previous provision of yearly advanced payment, government has now allowed a miner to now pay the dead rent in four quarterly installments.

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