Mining Industry and Government Should Work Hand-In-Hand, Says Vaikundarajan

Posted by Ankush Trivedi on October 7th, 2016

Piyush Goyal, Mines Minister, urged the mining industry to play fair and consider the health and happiness of people affected by mining. Piyush Goyal also heads the ministries of Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy.

Vaikundarajan explains that the mining industry has been seeking a reduction on import duty on iron ore. However, Piyush Goyal has thwarted these requests stating that there is a local demand that imports minerals from outside. “The mining industry and the government should work together in the national interest rather than focus only on the industry interests,” says Vaikundarajan, founder of one of the leading mining companies in India, VV Minerals.

While the government wants the industry to have a competition in market, it also wants the materials to be available locally. The government has ordered an extension on non-captive mines till 2020.

Piyush Goyal agreed that an industry cannot survive based on the exploration carried out by government. However, he was quick to point out at the corruption and evasion of taxes and illegalities created over the last few years. In these circumstances, the government has to take stern actions and request the mining industry to follow the rules and regulations.

“To put things into action, the Supreme Court has cancelled 204 coal blocks and declared them illegal and arbitrary allotments. It is time for the mining industry and government to find a common ground and work hand-in-hand,” informs Vaikundarajan.