1. Short title, extent and commencement.―(1) This Act may be called the Mines and Minerals
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[(Development and Regulation)] Act, 1957.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall come into force on such date3
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Declaration as to expediency of Union Control.―It is hereby declared that it is expedient in the
public interest that the Union should take under its control the regulation of mines and the development
of minerals to the extent hereinafter provided.
3. Definitions.―In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,―
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[(a) “composite licence” means the prospecting licence-cum-mining lease which is a two stage
concession granted for the purpose of undertaking prospecting operations followed by mining
operations in a seamless manner;
(aa) “dispatch” means the removal of minerals or mineral products from the leased area and
includes the consumption of minerals and mineral products within such leased area;
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[(aaa) “exploration licence” means a licence granted for undertaking reconnaissance operations
or prospecting operations or both in respect of minerals specified in the Seventh Schedule;]
(ab) “Government company” shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (45) of
section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013);
(ac) “leased area” means the area specified in the mining lease within which the mining
operations can be undertaken and includes the non- mineralized area required and approved for the
activities falling under the definition of “mine” as referred to in clause (i);
(ad) “minerals” includes all minerals except minerals oils;
(ae) “minerals concession” means either a reconnaissance permit, prospecting licence, minig
lease, composite licence 5
[,exploration licence] or a combination of any of these and the expression
“concession” shall be construed accordingly;]
(b) “mineral oils” includes natural gas and petroleum;
(c) “mining lease” means a lease granted for the purpose of undertaking mining operations, and
includes a sub-lease granted for such purpose;
(d) “mining operations” means any operations undertaken for the purpose of winning any
mineral;
1. Subs. by Act 38 of 1999, s. 2, for “regulation of mines and the development of minerals” (w.e.f. 18-12-1999).
2. Subs. by s. 3, ibid., for “(Regulation and Development)” (w.e.f. 18-12-1999).
3. 1st June, 1958, vide notification No. G.S.R. 432, dated 29th May, 1958, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, sec. 3(i).
4. Subs. by Act 16 of 2021, s. 3, for clause (a) and (aa) (w.e.f. 28-3-2021).
5. Ins. by Act 16 of 2023, s. 2 (w.e.f. 17-8-2023).
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(e) “minor minerals” means building stones, gravel, ordinary clay, ordinary sand other than sand
used for prescribed purposes, and any other mineral which the Central Government may, by
notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be a minor mineral;
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[(ea)“notified minerals” means any mineral specified in the Fourth Schedule;]
(f) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
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[(fa) “production” or any derivative of the word “production” means the winning or raising of
mineral within the leased area for the purpose of processing or dispatch;]
(g) “prospecting licence” means a licence granted for the purpose of undertaking prospecting
operations;
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(h) “prospecting operations” means any operations undertaken for the purpose of exploring,
locating or proving mineral deposit ; 4***
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[(ha) “reconnaissance operations” means any operations undertaken for preliminary prospecting
of a mineral through regional, aerial, geophysical or geochemical surveys and geological mapping,
include pitting, trenching, drilling and sub-surface excavation;]
(hb) “reconnaissance permit” means a permit granted for the purpose of undertaking
reconnaissance operations; 4***]
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[(hba) “Schedule” means the Schedules appended to the Act;]
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[(hc) “Special Court” means a Court of Session designated as Special Court under
sub-section (1) of section 30B; and]
(i) the expressions, “mine” and “owner”, have the meaning assigned to them in the Mines Act,
1952 (35 of 1952).
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[Explanation.—For the purpose of this clause, —
(i) a mine continues to be a mine till exhaustion of its mineable mineral reserve and a mine
may have different owners during different times from the grant of first mining lease till
exhaustion of such mineable mineral reserve;
(ii) the expression “mineral reserve” means the economically minearble part of a measured
and indicated mineral resource.]