"Tribal community protest halts laterite quarry near ecologically sensitive Kerala hill"
Minor Minerals
minerals like laterite, sand, gravel regulated by state governments under Section 15 of the MMDR Act, 1957.
District Mineral Foundation (DMF)
statutory body under MMDR Amendment Act, 2015 to benefit mining-affected communities.
Mineral extraction in India is governed by a layered legal framework. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) is the primary legislation, administered by the Union government for major minerals and by state governments for minor minerals — a category that includes laterite, sand, gravel, and ordinary clay. Under Section 15 of the MMDR Act, state governments are empowered to frame rules for the grant of quarry leases and other concessions for minor minerals. This division of authority means that laterite quarrying permissions are issued at the state or district level, making local administrative oversight — and local accountability failures — central to how such disputes unfold.
Scheduled Tribe communities enjoy special constitutional protections over land and natural resources. The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (Forest Rights Act) together recognise the community's right to be consulted before any activity that affects their habitat. Surplus land schemes — under which state governments allot land to landless families, including tribal households — carry conditions restricting alienation, precisely to prevent the kind of transfer alleged in this case, where land originally allotted for housing was reportedly purchased by a private party and converted to a mining lease.
Laterite is a weathered, iron- and aluminium-rich soil material found extensively across peninsular India, particularly in Kerala, Goa, Karnataka, and Odisha. As an NCERT excerpt notes, laterite rocks are closely associated with bauxite deposits on plateau and hill ranges of peninsular India. Laterite hills serve important ecological functions: they act as natural water-recharge zones, support unique biodiversity, and underpin the drinking water security of surrounding communities. Quarrying on such hills can destabilise slopes, contaminate groundwater, and destroy the micro-watershed that downstream settlements depend on.
The regulatory safeguard most directly relevant here is the 50-metre buffer zone rule: under Kerala's Minor Mineral Concession Rules, quarrying is prohibited within 50 metres of a public road, habitation, or water body. The District Collector's inquiry reportedly found a public road within this radius — a straightforward procedural violation that provided the legal basis for the temporary stop memo. …
What is/are the purpose/purposes of 'District Mineral Foundations' in India?
1.Promoting mineral exploration activities in mineral-rich districts
2.Protecting the interests of the persons affected by mining operations
3.Authorizing State Governments to issue licences for mineral exploration
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Consider the following statements:
Statement I: In India, State Governments have no power for making rules for grant of concessions in respect of extraction of minor minerals even though such minerals are located in their territories.
Statement II: In India, the Central Government has the power to notify minor minerals under the relevant law.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
With reference to the regulation of minor minerals in India, consider the following statements:
1.State Governments are empowered to frame rules for grant of concessions for minor minerals under the MMDR Act, 1957.
2.Laterite is classified as a major mineral under the MMDR Act.
3.District Mineral Foundations are mandated to cover minor minerals on par with major minerals.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following best describes the purpose of District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) established under the MMDR Amendment Act, 2015?
Consider the following statements about the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA):
1.It extends the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution to Scheduled Areas listed under the Fifth Schedule.
2.It mandates that gram sabhas must be consulted before land acquisition or use of natural resources in Scheduled Areas.
3.It applies uniformly to all tribal-inhabited areas across India, including those under the Sixth Schedule.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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