#Mines, #Minerals bill gets #RajyaSabha nod ,bill was pressed for voting -117 members were in favour & 69 against it.

NEW DELHI: The bill on #mines and #minerals, paving the way for #auction of #blocks for prospecting, was passed by the #RayyaSabha on Friday, even as opposition parties, notably the #Congress, wanted it to be referred again to the relevant #select committee. The bill was pressed for voting — 117 members were in favour and 69 against it.

Once it gets presidential consent, the new legislation will replace the #Mines and #Minerals (Development and Regulation) #Amendment Ordinance of 2015), promulgated on January 12. The bill has already been approved by the Lok Sabha. Now, miners lobby for relaxations in coal, mines bills The taking up of the bill had to be deferred on Thursday as the opposition said that mineral-bearing states had not been consulted in preparation of the bill and wanted the select committee, which had sent it back without changes on March 18, to take a re-look.

Earlier on Tuesday, amid an opposition walkout, Lok Sabha passed the bill seeking to introduce the system of auction of mines to enhance transparency and augment mineral production. #Steel and #mines #minister #NarendraSinghTomar had on Tuesday said the bill once enacted will increase transparency, end discretion, augment production and benefit the local population. Noting that iron ore production had gradually declined to 152 million tonnes in 2013-14 from 218 million tonnes in 2009-10 and its exports fell to 16 million tonnes from 47 million tonnes, he said the ordinance was the need of the hour in view of the crisis in the mining sector.