Notification for amendment in Mineral Concession Rules, 1960.

REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99 The Gazette of India CG-DL-E-20052025-263240 EXTRAORDINARY PART II-Section 3-Sub-section (i) PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY No. 280] NEW DELHI, TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2025/VAISAKHA 30, 1947 MINISTRY OF COAL NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 20th May, 2025 G.S.R. 323(E).—In exercise of powers conferred by section 13 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (67 of 1957), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960, namely:— 1. (1) These rules may be called the Mineral Concession (Amendment) Rules, 2025. (2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. 2. In the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 (hereinafter referred to as principal rules), in rule 22-B, in sub-rule (4), for the proviso, the following provisos shall be substituted, namely: – "Provided that the mining plan may cover an area beyond the block boundary if a no objection certificate is issued by the State Government for such area after considering the certificate issued by the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited for non-coal bearing area or non-feasibility of extraction of coal from coal bearing area: Provided further that in case of coal bearing area, the project proponent shall submit an undertaking to the effect that the overburden shall be re-handled within the period mentioned in the mining plan.". 3. In the principal rules, for rule 22E, the following rule shall be substituted, namely: "22E. Modification of approved mining plan. — (1) In case any modification is made in the approved mining plan, the project proponent shall submit the modified mining plan as per rule 22B. Provided that the project proponent, with the previous approval of Board of Directors of the Company concerned, may make the minor changes specified in sub-rule (2) and submit to the Coal Controller and the Central Government for information. (2) The minor changes referred to in the proviso to sub-rule (1), shall consist of following, namely: – (i) changes in land type within the total leased area; (ii) changes in location and type of infrastructure such as, mine opening, box cut for opencast working, access egress like shaft and incline for underground working, office premises within the project area and subsequent related changes; (iii) increase in production up to fifty per cent. of the sanctioned rated capacity of mine plan and the changes required for the production enhancement; (iv) change in sequence of extraction of different seam in underground mining without affecting the safety and conservation of minerals provided in the approved mining plan; (v) depillaring with caving to depillaring with stowing or paste filling without change in mining method; (vi) change in type of ingress and egress from shaft to incline or incline to shaft; (vii) the land required for installation of plant for manufacturing sand from over burden; (viii) changes in the specification or configuration of equipment and changes in the heavy earth moving machinery deployment plan; (ix) highwall mining, if introduced in opencast mines; (x) use of land for repurposing including installation of solar plant, pump storage projects, gasification, renewable source, washery etc. subject to the provisions of applicable law; (xi) change in technology within the method of mining for more mechanisation (shovel dumper to surface miner, semi mechanised mining to continuous coal cutting technologies etc.); (xii) dumping of washery rejects or fly-ash in mines; (xiii) change in expenditure pattern to include community development and livelihood projects in the mine closure plan: Provided that in case of allocated coal mines or coal blocks, prior approval of the nominated authority referred to in sub-section (1) of section 6 of the Coal Mines Special Provisions Act, 2015 (11 of 2015) or the Central Government, as the case may be, shall be required for any modification in the mining plan which result in changes in the terms and conditions or efficiency parameters mentioned in the agreement entered into between such nominated authority or the Central Government, and the project proponent.”. 4. In the principal rules, inrule 29A, – (i) in sub-rule (1), – (a) for the word "final", the words "final or temporary" shall be inserted; (b) for the words "Regional Controller”, the words “Regional Controller of Mines or the Coal Controller” shall be inserted; (ii) in sub-rule (2), after the words "Regional Controller of Mines", the words "or the Coal Controller” shall be inserted. [F. No.12012/2/2021-PS1] RUPINDER BRAR, Addl. Secy. Note:-The principal rules were published in the Gazette of India, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), vide number G.S.R. 1398, dated the 26th November, 1960 and last amended vide number G.S.R. 684(E), dated the 7th November, 2022.