Mining lease grants to be made hassle-free

BENGALURU: Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, on Friday said that provisions will be made to allow states to auction mining blocks under G4 level — a composite prospecting-cum-mining licence — instead of G3 as sought by state governments.

In a crucial meeting to address roadblocks faced by the mining sector in Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Joshi arrived at solutions to many concerns, including constituting a committee to decide on extending the Donimalai mining lease of the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC).