FEMMI urges NITI Aayog for uniform mineral policy across India
The Hindu
The Federation of Minor Minerals Industry national general secretary Rao urged NITI Aayog to implement uniform mineral policy across India in the name of One Nation-One Mineral-One Tax’ system.
The Federation of Minor Minerals Industry (FEMMI) national general secretary C. H. Rao urged NITI Aayog to implement uniform mineral policy across India in the name of One Nation-One Mineral-One Tax’ system to ensure supply of minerals in a transparent and simplified manner which would ensure speedy growth of industries in the country.
Along with FEMMI vice-president P. Ramakrishna, he submitted a memorandum to NITI Aayog member V. K. Saraswat in New Delhi a couple of days ago while explaining heavy tax burden and complicated procedures being adopted by various States in extraction of mineral wealth.
Mr. Rao who recently organised a meeting with stakeholders of mineral business activities in Srikakulam told The Hindu on September 19 that many experienced persons were also hesitating to take mining leases and participate in auctions with complicated procedures.
According to him lease holders are burdened with consideration tax, pandemic tax, premium tax, security deposit, production shortfall tax. The supply of minerals was affected very badly with the extraction process was stalled at many areas such as Srikakulam and Vizianagaram other places.
“We requested the Union government to make necessary changes in Minor Mineral Development and Regulation Act-1957 to simplify procedures and give necessary instructions to the States as the subject comes under concurrent list. One Nation-One Tax system will force all State governments to adopt rules in accordance to the guidelines of the Union government.,” said Mr. Rao.
“Writing, in general, is a very solitary process,” says Yauvanika Chopra, Associate Director at The New India Foundation (NIF), which, earlier this year, announced the 12th edition of its NIF Book Fellowships for research and scholarship about Indian history after Independence. While authors, in general, are built for it, it can still get very lonely, says Chopra, pointing out that the fellowship’s community support is as valuable as the monetary benefits it offers. “There is a solid community of NIF fellows, trustees, language experts, jury members, all of whom are incredibly competent,” she says. “They really help make authors feel supported from manuscript to publication, so you never feel like you’re struggling through isolation.”
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.