The Goa Foundation’s call to treat minerals like iron ore like family gold, is a sensitive call, which no one in Goa should have a problem with. The preservation, and more importantly the maximization of value of our minerals for the benefit of our future generations should be our maximum priority in the forthcoming new mineral policy.
The KR Rao Committee set up by the government on the Supreme Court’s direction in the Odisha mining scam to decide the new policy in place of old 2008 mineral policy has a crucial task cut out. It’s recommendations will impact all mining states in the country. But the bottom line is clear. Goa’s iron ore has to be preserved as “shared inheritance or asset” by the government as trustees for the future generations.
While Goa Foundation as the main petitioner in the historic Goa mining petition referred to as the Goa mining case (WP 435/1) has rightly deposed before the committee which will submit a draft policy on October 13 to the Centre, which will notify the final policy by December-end, one of its main demands or suggestions – an intergenerational equity in the natural resources, have already found resonance with the Apex Court.
Whether it is Goa Foundation or the people of Goa, most right thinking people who are keen that the people of Goa should be custodians and beneficiaries of our natural resources, have backed the following template:
a) Our mineral resources are not limitless. In order to make them stretch, we must preserve our minerals as if there is no tomorrow. There should therefore be a cap on mining extraction.
b) The loss to the state due to illegal mining and the rampant loss of our resources have to be compensated through a process of punishments and recoveries.
c) The compensation should actually reflect in a manner where every Goan actually sees funds in his accounts instead of getting just notional gain
d) The minor minerals which exist within the iron ore extracted should be extracted and sold to increase the value of our extractions manifold. This will in turn enable zero waste mining which should be one of the targets of the mineral policy.
This template has been articulated in the Goa Foundation’s presentation to the KR Rao Committee as follows:
a) Since mining is the sale of minerals, the people (and not miners) must get the full value when sold;(b) everything we receive, we must save in a new asset, a Future Generations Fund (like Botswana and Norway), and (c) since the minerals and the fund belong to the people, any real income should be distributed equally to all as a right of ownership, a common dividend.
It is only when the above are done that the marginalised and the poor who are bearing the brunt of illegal mining will get fair treatment.
But above all the mining policy should reflect a change in mindset more than a calibration of policy. And this should be a people first mindset, a radical shift from the mining industry first mindset.
The new policy must be all about protecting the interest of the main stake holders, the people rather than the contractors or mining companies. While the mining companies or the contractors will contribute to the revenue of the state through their royalty, they will be able to carry out their businesses only if the template is people-centric.
