Ending the suspense, the Rajya Sabha cleared two key reform Bills — the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015 and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 — on Friday.
While the Coal Bill paves the way for commercial mining and facilitates the auction of over 200 cancelled coal blocks, the Mines and Minerals Bill aims to introduce auctions for mines that produce minerals, such as iron ore and bauxite. The passage of the Bills took place after intense backroom negotiations by the Centre with regional party leaders and Chief Ministers, leading to a division in the Opposition Benches.
When the Bills were put to vote, only the Congress and the Left parties opposed them, while parties such as the Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress — known adversaries of the ruling BJP — voted in favour, along with the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal.
The passage of these crucial reform Bills comes as a booster to the Centre, which had faced a setback after it failed to win over Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha during a debate on the President’s address to Parliament. The Government said the Bills will help the country address its energy needs, and the respective Ministers also assured the House that all concerns raised by the Opposition members will be accommodated in the Rules. Also, its promise that mine-rich States will benefit after the auctions helped get the required numbers.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh termed the Bills dangerous for the federal structure of the country. He said the Modi Government has no empathy towards the problems of workers in the mining sector and said no State is going to benefit from the Bills.
The discussion on the Mines and Minerals Bill was taken up by the Upper House along with a debate on a motion by CPI(M) leader P Rajeeve to send the Bill back to the Select Committee.
Initiating the debate on the Mines Bill, BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav said transparent measures have been adopted by the Centre to auction the mines in the country.
“The Ordinance is already there, and the auction process has started. This Bill relates to the new block that would go for auction. For that the Bill has to be seriously studied,” CPI(M) leader Tapan Sen said.
Winding up the debate on the Coal Bill, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said the Government has taken all measures to protect the security of workers and to ensure the availability of coal to small- and middle-level manufacturers.