The Chhattisgarh government stated that the exploration should be taken in a big way through the use of latest technologies to augment areas under mining. (Representational image)
The Ministry of Finance said that it will not be possible to state any specific fiscal measures in the mining policy with regard to direct or indirect taxation, though the Department of Revenue would consider proposals received from the ministries/departments for taking fiscal measures to incentivise exploration and production of minerals.
JSW advised to draw up a programme of cooperation between various exploration agencies for speeding up exploration; foreign companies specialised in exploration can also be identified and invited for this purpose.
The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) expressed its concern regarding low private participation in exploration, and added that unless the statutory framework allows for a seamless transition from reconnaissance to prospecting and thereafter to mining, coupled with the provisions of easy transferability of concessions, the exploration in the country will not be successful The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) stated that everyone should take a step back and think holistically and comprehensively to understand where mineral industry would be moving in the future. It added that instead of concentrating on bulk minerals, we should rather involve NMET in undertaking exploration of rare earth minerals and strategic minerals as the top priority.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry stated that tax holidays should be considered for exploration and prospecting especially in remote areas.
The Confederation of Indian Industry stated that regulatory environment needs to be conducive to conducting exploration and mining activities.
The Madhya Pradesh government stated that improvement in methods of survey and exploration techniques should be discussed. It added that exploration and development of strategic minerals should be focused.
The Cement Manufacturers Association asked for standardisation of exploration data before auctioning of mineral blocks.
The Chhattisgarh government stated that the exploration should be taken in a big way through the use of latest technologies to augment areas under mining. It added that upgrading and strengthening of laboratories are required for proper analysis of minerals as it would result in more accurate exploration results.
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) stated that forest clearance issues during exploration need to be streamlined for facilitating proper exploration. It added that state governments need to extend all possible assistance and cooperation to GSI in sorting out local issues so that exploration can be done easily.