India: Rajasthan's Mining Department leased 28.3km~2 of gypsum mines under Singhvi

摘要

Rajasthan's suspended mining secretary Ashok Singhvi, who was arrested for allegedly running a massive bribery racket, was instrumental in throwing open Rajasthan's gypsum reserves, which are the largest in India, to indiscriminate mining. On 17 August 2014, the mines department headed by Singhvi de-reserved gypsum mining in Rajasthan, ending the exclusive gypsum mining rights enjoyed by state-owned Rajasthan Mines and Minerals (RSMM). According to local press, the mines department threw open 28.3km~2 of gypsum mines without inviting applications or notifying specific mining zones, in violation of the centre's 30 October 2014 guidelines. Several leases were granted on 12 January 2015, one day before the government promulgated the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015, which ended discretionary bases of awarding leases and made auction the sole method of allotment.