Andhra Pradesh has experienced numerous changes in its sand policies over the past decade, leading to significant revenue losses and allegations of corruption.
Andhra Pradesh Sand Policy
- NDA Government’s Reversion to Free Sand (2024): the NDA government overturned the YSRCP’s policies and reinstated the free sand policy.
- The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) Government’s Sand Policy (2019): The newly elected YSRCP government scrapped the free sand policy and introduced its own sand regulation measures.
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Sand Mining
- About Sand Mining: According to UNEP, sand mining (extraction) is the removal of primary natural sand and sand resources from the natural environment to extract valuable minerals for subsequent processing.
- Sand as a Minor Mineral: Sand is a minor mineral under Section 3(e) of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).
- Powers of State Governments: Section 15 of the MMDR Act empowers the State Governments for making rules for regulating the grant of quarry leases, mining leases or other mineral concessions in respect of minor minerals .
- Additionally, Section 23C of the MMDR Act empowers the State Governments to make rules for preventing illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals.
- State-Level Regulation: The regulation of minor minerals comes under the legislative and administrative domain of the State Governments.
- The control of illegal mining comes under the legislative and administrative purview of the State Governments.
Major and Minor Minerals
Minerals can be classified into major and minor minerals:
- Major Minerals: Abundantly present in the Earth’s crust; Example: such as Coal, Iron ore, Bauxite, Copper, Gold, and Limestone, significantly contribute to the economy.
- Minor Minerals: Occurring in smaller quantities; Examples: Mica, Garnet, Barite, Talc, Beryl, and Silica sand have limited economic importance.
- They are extracted on a smaller scale, they find usage in niche applications.
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Constitutional Provision for Mining in India
- State List (List II): Entry 23 of the State List gives state governments the authority to regulate mines and mineral development within their territories.
- Union List (List I): Entry 54 of the Union List allows the central government to regulate mines and mineral development in areas such as the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of India.
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Measures to Curb Illegal Sand Mining in India:
- 2006 Environment Impact Assessment (EIA): The Supreme Court of India mandated that all sand mining activities, including those in areas less than 5 hectares, require approval.
- Sustainable Sand Management Guidelines (SSMG) 2016: These guidelines were issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), with an aim to promote environmentally sustainable and socially responsible sand mining.
- The guidelines highlight the identification of the sand mining sources, replenishment of the River Bed Material (Sand, Boulder, Gravel, Cobble, etc.), preparation of Districts Survey Report (DSR), and Standard Environmental Conditions suitable for sand mining projects.
- Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining 2020: These guidelines establish a standardised protocol for monitoring sand mining across India.
- They cover the identification, dispatch, and end-use of sand mineral sources and advocate for the use of advanced surveillance technologies like drones and night vision for enhanced monitoring of mining activities.
- Sand Mining Framework: The Ministry of Mines has prepared this framework incorporating best practices amongst States with the objectives of sustainability, availability, affordability and transparency in sand mining.
- Mining Surveillance System (MSS): The Ministry of Mines, through Indian Bureau of Mines, has developed the Mining Surveillance System (MSS) to use space technology for reporting any illegal mining activity to the State Government who will take necessary action.
- Mining Surveillance System (MSS) is a satellite-based monitoring system which aims to detect illegal mining activity beyond the lease area through use of satellite images.
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September 5, 2024
