New Delhi. : The Ministry of Mines does not administer any scheme for sustainable mining. However, Ministry of Mines has implemented Sustainable Mining by making provisions under Mineral Conservation and Development Rules (MCDR), 2017. As per existing law, the sustainable mining practices are required to be mandatorily adopted by all miners. Provisions have been incorporated in the rules for precaution against air pollution, prevention of discharge of toxic liquid, precaution against noise, control of surface subsidence, etc.
As per Rule 35(4) of MCDR, 2017, every holder of a mining lease are mandated to achieve at least three-star rating within a period of four years from the date of commencement of mining operations and thereafter maintain the same on year-on-year basis.
The year wise number of 3 star and above rated mines for the last three years and the 5 star rated mines felicitated is given below:
| Year | No. of 3 star and above rated mines
(a) |
No. of 5 star rated mines
[out of (a)] |
| 2020-21 | 922 | 40 |
| 2021-22 | 1040 | 76 |
| 2022-23 | 1129 | 68 |
This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
