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Q89 (IAS/2025) Polity & Governance › Federalism & Emergency Provisions › Centre-state legislative powers Answer Verified

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?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

**Statement I is incorrect.** The State Governments grant the mineral concessions/rights for all the minerals located within the boundary of the State, under provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act 1957) by taking prior permission of Central Government.[1] This clearly establishes that State Governments do have the power to grant concessions for minerals, including minor minerals, within their territories. The claim that they have "no power" is therefore false.

**Statement II is correct.** Minor minerals are those which are declared as such by the Central Government in exercise of the powers conferred by Section I (a) of the Mines & Minerals (Regulation & Development) Act, 1957.[2] This confirms that the Central Government indeed has the statutory power to notify and declare which minerals are classified as minor minerals.

Since Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct, **option D is the right answer**. This reflects the constitutional division of powers where the Centre defines mineral categories while States administer concessions.

Sources
  1. [1] Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 14: Infrastructure and Investment Models > 14.11 Coal, Coal Mines Act 2015 and MMDR Act 2015 > p. 427
  2. [2] https://www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/reports_and_publication/statistical_manual/Chapter%2012.pdf
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Q. Consider the following statements : Statement I : In India, State Governments have no power for making rules for grant of concessions i…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 5/10 · 5/10
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This is a classic 'Federalism in Administration' question. Statement I uses an extreme negative ('no power') regarding local resources (minor minerals), which contradicts the constitutional logic of land being a State subject. The core facts are available in standard Economy and Environment texts (Vivek Singh, Shankar IAS).

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 Indian mineral law (Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957), do State Governments have the power to make rules and grant concessions for the extraction of minor minerals located within their territories?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 14: Infrastructure and Investment Models > 14.11 Coal, Coal Mines Act 2015 and MMDR Act 2015 > p. 427
Presence: 5/5
“The State Governments grant the mineral concessions/rights for all the minerals located within the boundary of the State, under provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act 1957) by taking prior permission of Central Government. MMDR Act 1957 applies to all minerals including coal and special provisions have been enacted for coal sector through Coal Mines Act 2015.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states State Governments grant mineral concessions/rights for all minerals located within the State boundary under the MMDR Act, 1957.
  • Implies that concessions for minerals in a state's territory (which includes minor minerals) are within state authority, subject to central permission.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > Current rules and policies in operation relation to sand mining > p. 114
Presence: 4/5
“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?
  • Describes a State-level rule (Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession (Amendment) Rules 2011) governing sand (a minor mineral), showing states frame rules for minor mineral extraction.
  • Details state administrative arrangements (departmental oversight, district committees, open bidding) for allocating mineral concessions.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > Guidelines for Sustainable Sand & Minor Mineral Mining > p. 115
Presence: 3/5
“• Where to mine and where to prohibit mining: District Survey Report for each district in the country, taking the river in that district as one ecological system. Use of ISRO, remote sensing data and ground truthing. z. Sustainable mining: Mining out material only that much which is deposited annually. 3. Involvement of District authorities in the process: The District-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) headed by District Collector. The District Collector is to be assisted by the District Level Expert Appraisal Committee (DEAC) headed by Executive Engineer (Irrigation Department), being assigned the responsibility of granting environment clearance up to 5 hectare of mine lease area for minor minerals, mainly sand.”
Why this source?
  • Specifies district-level authorities (District Collector, DEIAA/DEAC) empowered to grant environment clearance up to 5 hectares for minor minerals, reflecting state/decentralized regulatory control.
  • Highlights procedural and sustainable-mining guidelines within the state/district regulatory framework for minor minerals.
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