5th_APRIL 1ST_2015

NATIONAL AGENDA
Coal Mines Special Provisions Act and
Mines & Minerals Development and
Regulation (MMDR) Act: An appraisal
parties such as Trinamool Congress,
Biju Janata Dal and AIADMK by
pointing to them the actual quan-
tum and benefits of revenues that
states will receive from the auction
of mines, thus overcoming opposi-
tion from Congress and the Left.
Parliament on March 20,
2015 approved two crucial
bills, which form part of
NDA government's reforms agenda,
after the opposition unity was broken
and a number of non-NDA
parties backed the legislations in
Rajya Sabha. Overcoming stiff
opposition in the Rajya Sabha,
Overcoming stiff opposition
in the Rajya Sabha, where
the ruling party is in a
minority, the government
displayed deft political
management to pass the
Coal Mines Special
Provisions Bill as well as the
Mines & Minerals
Development and
Regulation (MMDR) Bill.
where the ruling party is in a minority,
the government displayed deft
political management to pass the
Coal Mines Special Provisions Bill
as well as the Mines & Minerals
Development and Regulation
(MMDR) Bill. The government
obtained the support of regional
Shubhendu Anand
The Narendra Modi government
was successful in getting a crucial
bill on mines and minerals passed
by the Rajya Sabha on the last day of
the first half of the Budget session.
The Mines and Minerals (Development
& Regulation) Amendment
Bill, 2015 to replace an ordinance
promulgated in January, was
passed by 117 votes in favour while
69 MPs opposed it. Among the
parties, other than the BJP, that
voted in favour are the Trinamool
Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party,
the Biju Janata Dal, the Nationalist
Congress Party, the Jharkhand
Mukti Morcha, the Samajwadi Party
and the AIADMK.
The opposition Congress and the
Left voted against the bill while the
Janata Dal-United and the
Rashtriya Janata Dal abstained. The
Congress and the Left had
THE
NATIONALIST 18