Tension gripped Chabbewal, Hoshiarpur, as villagers blocked the Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh road for four hours, protesting a mining case and alleged police excesses. The protest stemmed from an FIR filed under the Mining and Minerals Act, leading to arrests and accusations of police brutality. Traffic was disrupted until authorities assured a fair inquiry.
Andhra Pradesh is spearheading an ambitious initiative to establish a fully integrated beach sand minerals, rare earth, and titanium ecosystem, aiming to attract over 50,000 crore in investments over the next decade. This move is part of India's broader strategy to reduce its reliance on China for strategic minerals and permanent magnets, with the state preparing a comprehensive rare earth policy and planning specialised industrial clusters.
Police in Odisha have arrested 10 people for allegedly attempting to run over a tehsildar with a tractor during a raid on illegal soil mining operations in the Jajpur district.
Veena T, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Kochi for questioning regarding a money laundering case involving her defunct IT firm, Exalogic Solutions Private Ltd, and mining company CMRL. The probe focuses on alleged payments made without services and loans extended despite repayment failures, leading to accusations of generating "proceeds of crime."
The investigation pertains to alleged irregularities in CMRL's financial transactions and its links with Veena's now-defunct company Exalogic Solutions Private Limited.
The Enforcement Directorate has launched a foreign exchange violation investigation against Vedanta Group, conducting searches at its premises in multiple locations.
India's procurement of Venezuelan crude oil has picked up momentum since April and the South American nation has already emerged as the third largest oil supplier to the country.
The Odisha Police have arrested 1,771 people and seized a large quantity of drugs, illegal weapons, and other items during a five-day special drive across the state.
Kerala police have arrested four individuals in connection with the violent attack on vehicles carrying Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials who raided former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's rented house. The arrests followed a stand-off with CPI(M) party workers and leaders.
The Odisha Police have arrested 1,771 people and seized over 3,000 kg of ganja, 20 unlicensed guns and other illegal items during a special five-day drive across the state.
Kerala Police have booked approximately 300 individuals following an alleged attack on Enforcement Directorate officials and security personnel after a raid linked to former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
To get its act going in Myanmar, India would need very dynamic diplomacy and not the lazy all-eggs-in-one-basket approach, points out Subir Bhaumik.
The Centre has increased the area granted to individual players by more than four fold in order to boost mining of critical minerals. Issuing an order on Tuesday, the government said, for mining leases, the area has been expanded from the current limit of 10 sq km to 50 sq km. For prospecting licences (granted in the case of composite licence), the limit has been increased from 25 sq km to 100 sq km.
CPI(M) workers clashed with security personnel outside former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's residence in Kerala during Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches related to the alleged CMRL monthly payment case involving his daughter.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has condemned the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials following a search at his rented residence, calling it a serious offence. He also defended the ED's investigation into financial dealings involving his daughter's firm.
A Kerala court has dismissed the bail plea of five individuals accused of attacking vehicles carrying Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. The court cited the severity of the attack, potential impact on society, and ongoing investigation as reasons for denying bail.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at the residences of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family members as part of its money laundering probe linked to the CMRL case involving his daughter.
India is planning to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act 2023 to specify the use of funds currently earmarked at 5,600 crore for exploring critical mineral mines overseas, according to a top official. The proposed amendments also aim to introduce a tailings policy and modify the royalty structure to facilitate the extraction of critical minerals from waste materials, the official added.
Increasing cooperation in critical minerals will top Prime Minister Modi's agenda during his discussions with leaders of Ghana, Argentinia, Brazil and Namibia.
Tamil superstar breaks silence, questions TVK leader's claim that DMK pressure forced him to quit politics.
In a setback to the Centre, the Supreme Court on Thursday held that states have the legislative competence to impose taxes on mines and minerals-bearing lands under the Constitution.
If as critics point out, the environmental impact assessment study was commissioned only after the auction process got underway with not all the stakeholders getting to know of it, then the government has already compromised the trust it could have enjoyed with Kerala's public including its coastal communities, points out Shyam G Menon.
In June last year, India unveiled its first list of 29 critical minerals open for private sector exploration and mining. Since then, 38 critical mineral blocks have been auctioned, but only 14 - less than 37 per cent - have found bidders. This modest achievement was secured only after the Centre conducted a second round of auctions when the first round fell flat, failing to attract the minimum required bidders.
A bill to allow the private sector to mine six atomic minerals, including lithium, and deep-seated minerals like gold and silver was approved by the Lok Sabha on Friday.
A nationwide strike called by central trade unions saw a mixed response across India, impacting various sectors and states differently, with some areas experiencing disruptions while others remained largely unaffected.
India is growing fast, but to keep growing strong, the government must make more things at home, create jobs, and spend money wisely, suggests Rajiv Memani, regional managing partner, Africa-India Region, EY.
The PMK has now lent its voice to the protests against the mining of atomic minerals in Kanyakumari.
The fiscal tilt towards capex benefits companies in investment-related sectors like capital goods, defence equipment, engineering & construction and metal & mining. The planned cut in revenue expenditure will weigh on companies in consumption sectors like FMCG, consumer durables and retail.
US President Donald Trump announced a new global levy on imported items, resulting in a lower tariff rate for India, following a Supreme Court verdict against his previous sweeping tariffs.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Centre's plea for prospective effect of its July 25 verdict, which upheld the power of states to levy tax on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land, and allowed them to seek refund of royalty from April 1, 2005 onwards.
In a bid to capitalise on its underwater resources, the Indian government has introduced new rules for auctioning offshore mineral assets, aiming to ensure a transparent and competitive process. While these rules feature stringent eligibility criteria, they also simplify the awarding process. This move comes in the wake of the less-than-expected interest in critical mineral auctions.
Following a Supreme Court setback, Donald Trump has announced an increase in global tariffs from 10% to 15%, impacting international trade relations and raising concerns about economic repercussions.
The Bill is likely to pave the way for amending two existing legislations -- the Atomic Energy Act 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Abhay S Oka said the governments must ensure that action is taken against erring officials.
Sonia Gandhi criticizes the Modi government's environmental policies, claiming they endanger the Aravalli hills and disregard environmental protection.
A team of navy, army, NDRF, and SDRF personnel are working to rescue nine workers trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district. The mine is suspected to be illegal, and one person has been arrested in connection with the incident. Rescue efforts have been underway since Monday, but no workers have been found yet.
Parliament has cleared the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, recently. 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.
A preliminary probe revealed that the two miners had died after boulders hit them while extracting coal, the SP said, adding that the police were trying to trace the owner of the mine.
For the country's maiden offshore mineral mining auction, the Centre is planning to relax the rules on the number of chances for bidding. Under the newly announced draft Offshore Areas Mineral (Auction) Rules and Offshore Areas (Existence of Mineral Resources) Rules, the ministry of mines is planning to offer three chances to potential bidders in its forthcoming inaugural offshore mining auction. If a single bid is not received during the second attempt, the plan is to initiate a new round of bidding for the third time.
In a step towards diversifying its resource base and securing green energy minerals, India is poised to launch its first-ever offshore mineral auction in the first quarter of 2024, announced Union Minister of Mines Pralhad Joshi during the launch event of the National Geoscience Data Repository portal. The government plans to hold auctions in March, offering 10-15 blocks for bidding. Meanwhile, the ministry of mines is currently developing rules and regulations for offshore mining.
