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Q62 (IAS/2019) Economy › Industry, Infrastructure & Investment › Energy sector infrastructure Official Key

With reference to the management of minor minerals in India, consider the following statements : 1. Sand is a 'minor mineral' according to the prevailing law in the country. 2. State Governments have the power to grant mining leases of minor minerals, but the powers regarding the formation of rules related to the grant of minor minerals lie with the Central Government. 3. State Governments have the power to frame rules to prevent illegal mining of minor minerals. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is option A (statements 1 and 3 only).

Sand mining is the process of removal of sand and gravel where this practice is becoming an environmental issue[1], and sand is indeed classified as a minor mineral under Indian law. The District Collector is assigned the responsibility of granting environment clearance up to 5 hectare of mine lease area for minor minerals, mainly sand[2], confirming statement 1 is correct.

Statement 2 is incorrect because while State Governments do grant mining leases for minor minerals, the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for regulating the grant of quarry leases, mining leases or other mineral concessions in respect of minor minerals[3]. This shows that the power to frame rules for minor minerals lies with State Governments, not the Central Government.

Statement 3 is correct as State Governments have the power to make rules regulating minor minerals, which inherently includes preventing illegal mining. A provision has been made for constitution of special courts by the state governments for fast-track trial of cases related to illegal mining[4], demonstrating state-level authority in combating illegal mining activities.

Sources
  1. [1] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > 6.2 SAND MINING IN INDIA - ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES > p. 113
  2. [2] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > Guidelines for Sustainable Sand & Minor Mineral Mining > p. 115
  3. [3] https://www.ielrc.org/content/e5705.pdf
  4. [4] Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 14: Infrastructure and Investment Models > Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act 1957: > p. 429
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Q. With reference to the management of minor minerals in India, consider the following statements : 1. Sand is a 'minor mineral' according t…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 7.5/10 · 2.5/10
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This is a classic 'Federalism Trap' question. UPSC exploits the confusion between the regulatory framework for Major Minerals (Centre-dominated) and Minor Minerals (State-dominated). While standard books cover the definition of sand, the specific legal division of rule-making power (Section 15 vs Section 13 of MMDR Act) requires reading the 'Acts & Policies' chapters with a focus on administrative jurisdiction, not just environmental impact.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Under India's management of minor minerals, is sand classified as a "minor mineral" under prevailing law?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > Guidelines for Sustainable Sand & Minor Mineral Mining > p. 115
Presence: 5/5
“So district administration, which is the key in assessing the requirement of sand in a district and prohibiting illegal sand mining in district, is being involved directly in environmental clearance. 4. Monitoring using scientific tools: Stringent monitoring of movement of mined out material from source to destination using information technology tools, bar coding, SMS etc. Till date, there is no authentic data on how much sand is being mined; this system will generate real-time data on mined out sand. The movement of sand is controlled through Transit Permit. The monitoring of mined out mineral, Environmental Clearance (EC), conditions and enforcement of Environment Management Plan (EMP) will be ensured by the District Collector and the State Pollution Control Board.”
Why this source?
  • Document title explicitly links 'Sand' with 'Minor Mineral Mining' and provides guidelines for their joint governance.
  • Describes district-level environmental clearance, monitoring and transit permit systems that treat sand within the minor-mineral regulatory framework.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > Current rules and policies in operation relation to sand mining > p. 114
Presence: 5/5
“From September 20, according to Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession (Amendment) Rules 2011,the responsibility of oversight of sand mining has been transferred to the Public Works, Ports and Inland Water Transport Department. Rivers affected: Cauvery, Lakshmanatreta, Harangi, Hemavathi, Nethravatai, Papagani Andhra Pradesh in 2006. A new policy that allows only manual latrour and bullocks to mine sand in riverbeds. Bullock carts, mules and other animals would be exempted from any mining tax. Contractors will be allotted sand through open bidding by a committee headed by district joint collectors. Sand can be sold only if it has a maximum retail price tag, otherwise there will be a penalty.”
Why this source?
  • Karnataka 'Minor Mineral Concession' rules specifically transfer oversight of sand mining to a state department, using the minor-mineral regulatory instrument.
  • State-level rules and procedures (bidding, pricing, exemptions) are applied to sand, showing administrative treatment as a minor mineral.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > 6.2 SAND MINING IN INDIA - ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES > p. 113
Presence: 3/5
“Sand mining is the process of removal of sand and gravel where this practice is becoming an environmental issue as the demand for sand increases in industry and construction. 5:{ANKATi tl{5 Despite a Supreme Court order that prohibits sand mining without the requisite clearance from the required authorities and places limits on the quantities that can be mined, thousands of tonnes of sand is being illegally mined to meet the rising demand of construction industry and for extraction of minerals. Let's discuss about the scenario of sand mining in India. The environmental reasons for this ban and others across India are numerous.”
Why this source?
  • Reference to a Supreme Court order prohibiting sand mining without requisite clearances demonstrates legal/regulatory control over sand extraction.
  • Implied requirement of environmental/legal clearances aligns sand with regulated minor-mineral activities.
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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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