Union Minister Pralhad Joshi explains about liberalization of coal regime

In an interaction with ETV Bharat's Assistant News Editor Verghese P Abraham, Union Minister for Coal, Mining and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi explains about the liberalization of coal regime and variety of topics including the leadership speculations in Karnataka politics.

Hyderabad: Union Minister for Coal, Mining and Parliamentary Affairs Union Minister Pralhad Joshi explains about liberalization of coal regime in an interaction with ETV Bharat talked about the liberalization of the coal regime. The minister also explained about the delimitation of parliamentary seats by 2026. All the stakeholders opinions will be taken into account for the process. Also, the minister said that Yediyurappa will continue as Chief Minister of Karnataka and not to heed to power corridor speculations.

Ques: The government is going ahead with the liberalisation of the coal regime. Why did the government go ahead with the policy and what's India's capacity in terms of the country's requirement?

Ans:So far, we have not used our potential because of restrictions. Those people who have experience in the coal mines can only participate in the exploration of the minerals. The coal mines special provisions act bars the government from auctioning of at least 204 mines in the country. Due to this, we cannot explore the minerals as per the country's requirement. Even though we are the fourth largest coal reservoir in the world, we used to import around 250 Million Tonnes of coal worth one lakh fifty thousand crores. Currently, the contribution of the mining sector, putting it all together, is around 1.00 per cent and we want to take it to 2.50 per cent.

Ques:As of now, India is dependent on China for the rare earth minerals which are widely used in electronic equipment. Is India sufficient with the current demand or have to explore more into it?

Ans:We have many ample numbers of rarer minerals. We have not explored the total capacity of the minerals we have. According to the Geological Survey of India, we have a total of 10 per cent of minerals found on the Earth. Due to certain restrictions, we have explored only 1 per cent of it. Now, we have changed the basic hurdles that come in the way. With the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021, we can mine more to explore the minerals. The PSUs will be given the charge of special minerals exploration while all others will be auctioned to the private players.

Ques:As the country has witnessed a steep rise in the coronavirus, has the government planned for a nationwide lockdown?

Ans:According to my opinion, we should not adopt the lockdown method to curb the spread of coronavirus. Even Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is also against the nationwide lockdown. There is a dire need to sensitize the citizens regarding the deadly virus. Whether it is a political program or a private, all should maintain social distancing and wear masks. People also opt for vaccination. Earlier, we had imposed a nationwide lockdown as the country needs to be well organised in terms of medical equipment. If the government imposes lockdown now, the poorer section of the society will suffer a lot.

Ques: There has been a demand to raise the number of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seats. It is being speculated that some of the southern states might feel neglected if the expansion happens. What's your take on that?
Ans:We will be committed to fulfilling the aspirations, hopes of all over the country. If the condition arises, then a commission having a retired Supreme Court judge will be formed. The commission will look after every corner of the country, whether it is a full-fledged state or a union territory. The Government of India will make sure that every constituency will be satisfied with the commission and no one should feel deprived or neglected.

Ques:There is a speculation that BS Yediyurappa will be replaced. Will there be a replacement of leadership in Karnataka?

Ans:That's not correct. Yediyurappa is doing a good job. It is only a speculation.

Ques: On Belagavi, there is a dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra. How do you see the Belagavi question?

Ans: According to me, some political parties raise these issues. This is a settle matter and people are not bothered whether Belagavi is in Karnataka and Maharashtra. People are not bothered about this issue. Recently, Yediyurappa constituted a board for welfare of Marathi people and the welfare of Marathi speaking community is taken care. People are very clear. It is on the mind of few political parties to raise it as an issue during election. This is not an issue according to me.